What if Rodney Chose Music Over Science?
by IantojJackh
Summary: What happens if Rodney chose to pursue a career in music instead of science? How different would his life be? Would he still meet those he would have met on Atlantis? AU. McKeller pairing. Lots of fluff ahead.
1. Meeting

A/N: This is something that popped into my head earlier and I wanted to see where it would take me. This is unbetaed so all mistakes belong to me.

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**What if Rodney chose music instead of science?**

Rodney McKay was living the good life. He had everything he could ask; the perfect career, a big house, enough money to live comfortably for the rest of his and the best thing a massive ego could ask for: adoring fans who showered him with gifts. For people who were outwardly seemed prim and proper had a hidden wild side. The gifts received by fans sometimes crossed the lines into the bizarre. There were countless undergarments, but the oddest gift ever was a block of cheese sculpted into his likeness.

Tonight's performance had been one of Rodney's best. Nothing gave him a better high then when he got lost in an emotional interlude. When his fingers danced over the smooth ivory keys the world around him ceased to exist. Each note bared the pianist's soul until raw emotion took over and anyone listening found it impossible not to be drawn into a wondrous world.

Now, Rodney sat in a bar not far from the concert venue, sipping on a bottle of beer. The only negative aspect of being a classical pianist was the tuxedo his manager forced him to wear for every performance. _Nobody wants to see you dressed like a slob_ was the line the annoying woman constantly gave him. Less than ten minutes after every show the pianist was out of the stuffy costume and into his preferred jeans and button down shirt.

Drawing on the last sip from the bottle, he reflected that this life was one that could have turned out to be different. When his piano teacher told Rodney that he had no feel for the art of music he lost the will to play. It was traumatizing for the pre-teen to have his dreams crushed and Rodney briefly threw himself into his second love: science. The joy of experimenting came crashing down after the CIA confiscated his atomic bomb and questioned the boy for six hours. After that, his parents forbid Rodney from experimenting ever again. With no place to turn, the lost child planned to prove his former piano teacher wrong. Revenge was served when his first CD hit the Billboard Charts and mailed it to the would-be dream crusher.

Before Rodney had a chance to order a second beer, the bartender bought another bottle over. "From the red head," the man pointed the mousy woman at the far end of the bar.

Rodney unfolded the napkin that accompanied the bottle:

_Your music gets me hot. Let me make you hot. _

_Katie_

A phone number was scribbled at the bottom of the note. The disgusted man crumpled the napkin and threw it away. _Desperate sycophants._

Rodney was about to leave when an attractive blonde took the neighboring stool, "Hello." he said with his most charming smile.

The blonde smiled back, instantly attracted to the sexy blue eyes and winning smile. "Hi," she returned the greeting.

"Can I get you a drink?" the flirtatious man made an offer he hoped she would not refuse.

"I don't usually take drinks from strangers."

"I'm Rodney. There, now we aren't strangers," he offered his hand to shake.

"With a smile like that how could I refuse? I'm Jennifer," she shook the offered hand.

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**End A/N: **Of course with me it had to have hints of McKeller. Hope you enjoyed.


	2. Show Time

A/N: I couldn't let this story go. It kept on gnawing at me. I thought it could be interested to do a story where Atlantis does not exist for the characters. Please read and review. Chapter is unbetaed so mistakes are mine.

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**Show Time**

Jennifer sighed as she tugged at the dress she was wearing, "Marie, you owe me big time for this." The doctor glared over at her best friend.

"I'm sorry. Radek had to work at the last minute. His hard ass boss has been driving him crazy. Plus these tickets are really hard to come by. I didn't want them to go waste. Plus this is his last show of the tour. Rumor has it that he is sticking around town to make his next album," Marie was grateful that her friend was able to come at the last minute. She hated that she sounded like a groupie, but Rodney's music had that effect on her.

"I've never even heard of this McKay person before, but then again this isn't my type of music. This will be done by ten, right?" Jennifer asked hopefully.

The Asian woman smirked, "Ahh, the date with the mystery man you met last night?"

The blonde nodded and blushed, "Yes. We're meeting at ten thirty for dinner. Kind of late, I know, but he said he has work until ten."

Marie raised an eyebrow, "Tell me more about him." There was still a little time left before the show started so the women could catch up.

"He has these amazing blue eyes and there was something about his smile. I don't know. It just made me feel kind of giddy when he smiled." Jennifer blushed as she tucked loose hair behind her ear.

"I get that he is cute, but else can you tell me about him. I know it has been a while since you last had a date. I want to know what's so special that you are giddy after having only a couple of drinks with the guy," Marie wanted some excitement and she had to live vicariously through her friend. After ten years of marriage, her love life was a little stale.

"I don't know. He was charming and a perfect gentleman. It was just easy to talk to him. He has a similar sense of humor to me. We hit it off and spent hours talking. We didn't leave the bar until closing and he put me in a taxi. Paid for it too. Before seeing me off he took my hand and kissed it. It was really sweet. It was a nice change from the guys that usually try to pick me up."

"Good luck, girl. Have fun later. Don't let him pressure you into anything," the nurse gave the standard warning. "So what does this guy do for a living?"

"Not sure exactly. He said he was in the entertainment industry."

Marie made a face at the implications, "That could be anything. He could be a porn star for all you know."

Jennifer frowned, "Thank you for bursting my bubble. Now, I'm going to have him clarify what he meant by entertainment industry."

"Where is he taking you?" that way she could get an idea of what lengths the man was willing to go to impress her friend.

"The new Bobby Flay restaurant that opened last month."

Marie was shocked, "Radek and i tried to get a reservation last week and they have a two month wait. How was he able to get a reservation last minute?" she was officially jealous.

Jennifer shrugged, "I don't know. He called me this morning and told me that's where we were going."

"Nice," she was impressed. "If there is a second date I want to meet this guy. He almost sounds too good to be true." Marie sat up straight as the lights dimmed and the show got ready to begin.

"If there is a second date," Jennifer promised. Her jaw dropped when Rodney came onto stage."No way."

"What is it?" Marie was confused.

"That's him. He's the guy. That's Rodney." This was certainly an interesting turn of events.

"Wait! Are you telling me Rodney McKay picked you up at a bar last night and you have a date with him tonight? He's the guy that has got you flustered," Marie did not know how else to respond.

"I didn't know his last name, but that is him. I had no idea who he was." Jennifer was in awe that a man who probably could have his choice of women picked her.

"Jen, you are one lucky woman. I'm even jealous of you. Do you have any idea how hot he is?" Marie was super excited for her friend.

"I do. I did talk with him last night for several hours and we were sitting closer than you and I are," Jennifer did not know what to do as she had never been in a situation like this before.

Marie made a face as she noticed people around her giving them dirty looks, "I want details of this date tomorrow. Let me know how good of a kisser he is," the nurse blushed.

"Who said I am one to kiss and tell?" Jennifer bit the inside of her cheek and turned her attention to the music. It was easy to get lost in the man's music just as she had gotten lost in his eyes and smile the previous evening.


	3. First Date

**Chapter 3- First Date**

Rodney sighed as he looked at his watch, knowing he was running twenty minutes late. In his mind, the blame solely went to his manager who made him sit for an interview with Entertainment Weekly and made him schedule an interview on the Today Show for seven in the morning for the following day. The battle-axe would not listen despite his numerous protests that he had some place to be. The visibly upset man knew it not be wise to show up empty handed and Rodney made a stop at gourmet candy shop. "I'm sorry for being late. Something came up at the last minute. I'm really sorry," he could not apologize enough, was sincere with his apology, and brandished the gold wrapped candy box.

If Jennifer did not know the truth about his career, she might have been more upset than she was. She did not know the first thing about what went on backstage and thought contributed to his late arrival. The patient woman thought he could have called, but he did apologize twice already and with the smile that just drew her in. "A peace offering?" she spied the box in his hands.

"In a way," Rodney offered her the box. "I remembered how much you said you liked them last night. Dark chocolate is your favorite right?"

"Good memory," Jennifer was impressed that he had remembered and even more so when she opened the box and saw the assortment of dark chocolate covered fruit.

"Do you want to get our table?" the pianist offered his arm. He was relieved that his date was not too upset with him.

The impressed woman took the arm that was offered, "How did manage to get a reservation for this place? My friend said this place was booked solid for two months."

Rodney smirked, "It's a secret." He played coy with her. It was a nice change that she did not know who he was. A handful of times that he had gone on date with fans they would always be too eager to please him and the night usually left him frustrated, but with Jennifer they had hit it off without her knowing and that made a big difference.

"A secret?" Jennifer returned the smirk. "You might just have to fill me in on what that secret it is." She did not care that he was a celebrity in certain circles because she saw him as the charming man he was last night.

"All in good time," he commented and pulled out Jennifer's chair, as they were lead to a quiet table in the corner.

"Thank you." Rodney was doing everything right in Jennifer's eyes (except being late, but she was past that) and it was a bonus that he was acting exactly as he did last night. Part of her thought it could have been a fluke or that it could have been the beers talking. The awestruck could not keep the grin off her face as she looked over the menu.

"What's the grin for?" Rodney asked as he looked up from his menu.

"Nothing. Just enjoying the view," she said with honesty.

"Thank you. I must admit the view is good from here too... Is it that corny as it sounded?" the pianist laughed slightly.

"Just a little, but in fairness I started it. Can we start over?" Jennifer covered her mouth to block the fit of laughter that threatened to erupt. With him the corniness and ease with each other felt natural and not as if it were that facade one puts on to impress on a first date.

"Go ahead. Just let it out. I know you want to laugh," Rodney jokingly wagged his finger, fighting the urge to laugh as well.

She shook her head, "I'll control myself." the woman took several deep breaths to push back the laughter.

"What can I get you to drink?" the waiter asked as he came by the table.

"Do you want anything special?" Rodney asked his date.

"No, I'm fine. Just water for now. A little ice and two slices of lemon," Jennifer told the waiter.

"Can you make that bottled water and for my glass make sure it hasn't touched any lemons, limes or oranges," Rodney was very insistent with his request.

"Allergies?" she asked as the waiter walked away. Her experience as a doctor told her that when people were that insistent with requests like his they were either allergic or just neurotic. Jennifer just hoped it was the first one.

He nodded, "Mortally allergic to citrus." Rodney showed the Epi Pen he kept in the inside pocket of his suit jacket. "You just never know if they put lemon or lime into the pitchers and as a doctor I don't need to tell you how bad anaphylactic shock can be," the musician blushed slightly, knowing that was probably too much to go into on the first date. "Sorry," he shrugged.

"Don't be. Food allergies aren't something to apologize for," something over his shoulder got Jennifer's shoulder. "There is someone staring at you and I think she is giving me a dirty look."

Rodney rolled his eyes, "There is something you should know about me." He casually looked behind him and saw the same red head from the night before.

"I know."

"You do?" he wondered how long she knew. The defenses went up and thought she could have playing him.

"Found out by accident, actually. My friend had tickets to your show tonight and her husband had to work. She asked me to come and to think I was really worried that was going to miss this date," Jennifer did not want him to think she had known who he was the whole time. "I didn't say anything until now because it doesn't matter what you do for a living and as long as you are that same person as last night. He was funny and sweet. Someone I definitely want to get to know better."

Rodney smiled, "Who I was last night is who I am. I have no plans on going back to California anytime soon."

"That's where you live when not on tour?"

He nodded, "Yes, but I made plans to stay here in New York for a while to work on a new album. There is only so much inspiration looking out at the Pacific Ocean can give you. II'm just looking for something different."

"I hope you find what you are looking for here," Jennifer said with a flirty tone.

"Only time will tell," Rodney flirted back.

The rest of the meal went like the previous evening went and as the minutes ticked by the couple became more smitten with each other. By the end of the meal, Jennifer and Rodney were holding hands when they left the restaurant.

"Do you want me to walk you somewhere? As much as I would like to continue this date I have an early interview in the morning," he offered with a smile that said he was sorry.

"And I have work early too. I really enjoyed tonight," she found herself almost staring into his eyes. "I think I'm going to take a cab home," Jennifer realized their hands were still linked and reluctantly let go.

Rodney sighed as their hands broke apart, "Are you free for dinner tomorrow?"

The excited woman nodded, "I am. How about I cook for you? There isn't anything besides citrus you are allergic too?" There was an odd voice in the back of her head that said this was right, while another part said it was too soon to be inviting him over. Jennifer told herself that she would wait until tomorrow to give him her address.

"Not any foods. Do you need me to bring anything?"

"How about that beer we were having last night?" the physician suggested.

"Okay. I'll call you tomorrow afternoon for the details," Rodney leaned in to kiss Jennifer on the cheek, but her face turned at the last minute and their lips grazed each other's.

"Talk to you then," Jennifer's face felt warm despite the cold temperature.

"Until then," he said with a waved and waited until she got into a taxi before hailing one of his own.


	4. Girl Time

A/N: This chapter is all about the fluffy girl time and finding out the identity of Radek's boss . :) Unbetaed so mistakes are mine.

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**Chapter 4- Girl Time**

Jennifer walked into work with the biggest smile on her face, unable to take her mind off the brief moment her and Rodney's lips met last night and their plans for tonight. She was putting her purse and jacket in her locker of the break room of the practice she worked at when she heard a throat clear behind her.

"With a smile like that I assume the date went well," Marie had seen her friend come into the office and now she wanted the details.

The doctor felt her cheeks go warm, "It went really well. Really, really well. He sent me the sweetest text this morning."

This was the first time Marie had seen the other woman gush over a date as much as she was, "He must be doing something to get you this worked up. Did you two have a _sleepover_ already? That is a pretty big smile for a first date."

"No!" Jennifer shook her head. "And it didn't come up yet. It was only one quick kiss on the lips. Nothing else. He's been nothing but a perfect gentleman," she answered the questions before Marie had a chance to ask.

"Does that mean a second date is planned?" the nurse asked hopefully.

"You and Radek need to go on a date so you can stop grilling me on my love life," she said with a good-natured smile. "I'm cooking dinner for Rodney tonight."

"You know Janet is going to flip out when she finds out. She nearly had a coronary when she found out I had tickets to the show last night and I asked you instead of her," Marie hushed her voice when she saw the other doctor enter the lounge.

"I knew you and Janet were fans before, but I didn't know he was that popular. When I heard you two talk about him I thought he was some old man in his seventies," Jennifer smiled fondly.

"What is he like?" the nurse inquired. She had only had glimpses of his personality from a few interviews, but those never gave a true depiction of someone because of the wonders of editing.

"He's like a normal guy. Funny, sweet, charming and all around nice guy. He was late because he was tied up with some things after the show, but he apologized profusely and bought me a box of really expensive dark chocolate covered fruit. I know it's only been a date and a half, but I think I really like him." The half date being their first night at the bar.

Marie smiled as she shook his head, "Can he give Radek lessons on what to do when he is late? When that boss of his, Kavanagh, makes him work late, the jerk comes home and says nothing. He needs to stand up to that ponytailed ass."

"You just want to meet him," Jennifer teased.

"Excuse me, Jennifer. You have a delivery up front. Very nice flowers from the look of it," Janet returned to the lounge.

"Thank you Dr. Fraiser," the woman's eyes lit up, knowing only one person would be sending her flowers.

"I do," Marie grinned. "First for the obvious and the second and most importantly because I want to meet the guy who has my best friend grinning like an idiot and who sends flowers after one date," the nurse sighed, remembering what it was like for the first few dates with her husband.

The two women went to the reception desk to check out the flowers.

"They are really beautiful," Janet joined them, admiring the basket of assorted wildflowers for a moment before walking away.

"What are you cooking for him, Jen?" Marie asked.

Jennifer started to blush as she read the card that came with the flowers: _Beautiful flowers for a beautiful woman. Had a great time last night. Hope it is the first of many more like it. -Rodney _" Not sure yet. Maybe steak and oven roasted potatoes. I told him to bring beer, so I should cook something that goes with that."

"What does the card say?" the nurse made a grab for the card. "How sweet," she handed the card back to Jennifer. "A romantic. He keeps this up and he'll sweep you off your feet in no time."

"I think he already has. There is this pull about it him and I can't explain it," Jennifer felt herself getting hot just thinking about Rodney. "When we were at dinner his eyes did not wander once. This attention solely was on me. Trust me there were people checking him out, but he paid them no mind. Then when he took my hand when we were leaving the restaurant I swear chills went up my spine." by now the doctor was fanning herself. She knew this was very unlike her to get this worked up over a guy and it showed. "I swear I feel like I'm in high school again. How long have you known me? And how many times have I been like this?"

Marie smirked, "Almost six years and it's the first time. I cannot even say it is because of who he is because you were like this before the show last night."

"I need to start seeing patients so I can get out of here on time," Jennifer knew this would be a difficult day to get through as her thoughts kept going to a certain blue eyed angel who was slowly inching his way into her heart.

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TBC...with the First Date Alone


	5. A Date Alone

A/N: Please read and review. Thanks to Dani for helping with the chapter and keeping me in the T lines. Thank you to all those who a reading especially those who leave reviews.

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**Chapter 5: A Date Alone**

Rodney did not want a repeat of last night so he made sure that he arrived at Jennifer's apartment ten minutes early. _I'm not too early am I?_ He paced as he waited for the doorman to give him the okay to go upstairs. The nervous musician checked himself in a nearby mirror to make sure he looked presentable. He was not sure how formal this date was supposed to be and he chose to wear a pair of jeans and a deep purple button down shirt with the top button undone. Normally, Rodney was not so worried about his appearance, but with Jennifer it was different.

"Dr. Keller is expecting you," the doorman said after he got off the phone with the building's tenant.

"Thank you," Rodney headed toward the elevator. He tapped his foot nervously as the elevator rode up the thirty stories to Jennifer's apartment. Before he rang the bell, Rodney checked his breath to make sure it did not have any lingering stench from the onions he had a lunch. Once he was satisfied, he rang the doorbell and held his breath waiting for the woman on the other side.

Jennifer felt a flutter in her stomach when the doorbell rang. She quickly looked at herself in the mirror and smoothed out the invisible wrinkles in her casual, but sexy red dress. "Hey, there," she smiled and inconspicuously checked him over, noting that he looked quite irresistible.

"Hey, yourself," the nerves instantly vanished upon seeing the sight before him. The dress was revealing without showing too much. It was just enough to whet his appetite and leave him longing for more. Before entering the apartment, Rodney placed a chaste kiss on Jennifer's cheek. "You look amazing," he did not have the will power to take his eyes off her.

"Thank you," Jennifer felt a blush extend to her whole body. The way he looked at her with his piercing blue eyes started to turn her on and she felt her body start to tingle. _Get a hold of yourself. You haven't even had dinner yet. But, he could be the meal with the way he looks. _"You look amazing too," she moved to the side to let Rodney in.

"How was your day?" The six pack of beer was placed on the counter.

"Busy," she said as the door closed. "I thought the day would never end," Jennifer leaned against the counter and rubbed the back of her neck. "How about you?"

Rodney felt bad that his day was the exact opposite of hers. "Relaxing. It was nice to have nothing to do for a change after the interview."

"How hard was it being on tour?" she doubted it was as glamorous as it was shown on TV and in movies.

"Draining," he sighed heavily. "Thirty different cities in three months. It's exhilarating and tiring at the same time. I only go out on a big tour every other year, so it's not really that bad in the long run. Ask me after I just finish a tour and you get my first response," Rodney said with a slight laugh.

"What do you do when you are not on tour?" Jennifer asked. She could not imagine what it was like not to have to a regular work schedule.

That was such typical interview question, but Rodney felt that she was only asking because Jennifer was truly interested in the answer. "This time I'll be working on my next album. I usually write my own pieces and that takes a while. Other than that I spend time with my sister and her family or do some travelling." He pulled two beers out from the six pack, "You want one?"

"Sure," she nodded, grabbing the bottle opener out of a drawer and handing it over. "How do you like your meat cooked?"

"Depends on what it is," Rodney opened the two bottles and passed one over to his date.

"I borrowed an old family recipe of buttered burgers and french fries with truffle oil," Jennifer took a small sip of the beer. It was a simple meal, but she glammed it up for the date.

"Medium well, then. Do you need help with anything? I feel bad not doing anything," he offered up any assistance he could.

She was pleased that he had offered to help. It was as if he knew the right things to do and say. "I'm good. Thanks for the offer," Jennifer offered a genuine smile. _Definitely different than most._ Moreover,she really liked that fact.

Rodney insisted that he should help and Jennifer finally relented and told him to set the table. As the meal cooked the musician further inquired about the woman's day and the field of medicine she specialized in.

Jennifer was quite impressed that Rodney listened with rapt interest and seemingly had some medical knowledge beyond a basic understanding than those outside the medical field. His attention during the meal was directly on her and he kept the conversation on her. A blush rose to her cheeks, as she had never talked about herself so much in one conversation.

"Was it hard being an only child?" he asked, swirling a french fry into the small pool of catsup on his plate.

She shook her head, "Not really. My cousins lived a few blocks away, so it was like having a brother and sister that did not live with you. What about your sister? How many years apart are you?"

"Jeannie is eight years younger than me. For a while it was like being an only child and with that age difference it was difficult to be close growing up," Rodney said with a shrug. It was not until his sister was in high school that they began to have a meaningful relationship. "Do you need help with the dishes?" he offered when they were done with the meal.

"You can just put the dishes in the dishwasher," Jennifer's smile kept on growing. _Such a perfect gentleman. Just hope he doesn't act too perfect all night. _She would not mind a kiss past a quick pass on the lips, but she was not sure how far to let things go. Only once, she had sex by the second date and she swore to never let that happen again and, yet there was this magnetic pull surrounding him. It was too early to tell where the night was going to take them.

Rodney nodded as he got up from the table, took both sets of dishes and put them in the dishwasher. Every so often he could not help but to steal glances at the woman. _She is one of a kin_d. There was something about the way the light over the table reflected off Jennifer face that made him stare in amazement. In his head, the pianist began to put to music the effect her beauty had on him. He felt his heart swell his thoughts were transformed into music. It was a beautiful song.

For the third time this evening, Jennifer blushed. "What?" she laughed nervously and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Just thinking how beautiful you are," he knew he had to reign in on the clique sentiments. "And how it translates into music."

"And what does it sound like?" the comment really piqued her interest. She could only wonder what was going on in his head.

Rodney stood in front of Jennifer and shrugged, "It's kind of hard to put into words, but it's pretty amazing. I'm sure you would like what you hear." He took her face between his hands to carefully study it. It amazed him how well the delicate face fit into his palms, as if it was custom made for him.

Jennifer had never felt hands so soft on a man before, but she knew they were what defined him. Without them, he would not be able to make the beautiful music he did. The combination of the effect of the way he looked at her and the electric feel of his hands made the physician's knees tremble. Instead of responding with words, Jennifer circled her arms around Rodney's waist and leaned up to kiss him.

The two only separated when they needed to breathe. Both clearly enjoyed the kiss and struggled to get their breathing under control.

Rodney dropped his hands to his side and rested his forehead against Jennifer's. The only sound he could hear was his heart pounding in his chest.

Jennifer was glad she was leaning against the counter and had her arms around the amazing kisser in front of her or else she thought he knees would have given out from under her. "Hmm. I should start the dishwasher," she reluctantly pulled herself away, knowing that she might not be able to control herself if she did not put some distance between them.

"By all means," the flushed man pulled at the collar of his shirt. Air was a good thing. Neither had to voice how exhilarating the kiss was because the matching grins spoke volumes.

"Another round of beer?" Rodney nodded to the two bottles left of the six pack.

She was not sure if another round of drinks was best idea, but what harm could one more do? After the two she was feeling a bit tipsy, which was odd for her. For now she passed it off as being nervous. "Sure. Bring them to the living room. I'm just going to start the dishwasher," Jennifer thought the small break could help get her hormones under control.

The man did as he was told and took a deep breath as he sat on the couch, holding the two bottles. Rodney was able to get control of his emotions in the brief time alone. The kiss had been quite intense and between the emotions that it stirred up and the effects of two beers, his thoughts were far from coherent. "Everything okay?" he offered his companion the beer as she sat next to him.

Jennifer nodded, taking the beer and got comfortable on the couch, "Did you enjoy the meal?"

Rodney nodded, "I did. Next time I am going to have to cook for you, but first I'm going to need an apartment. I need a bigger space than a hotel room."

"I can help you look. I have the day off tomorrow," she offered. New York City reality would always be a difficult creature to navigate even for someone who had done it before.

"I would like that." The idea sounded like a perfect way to spend the following day. "It's a date then."

"That it is." The couple clinked their bottles together and both drew long sips from them.

Rodney was glad they had made plans for a third date before the second was over. "The only requirement I have is good acoustics."

"That I know nothing about. I'll defer that your expertise."

"And I will defer to your expertise of the city to suggest an area to live."

The conversation continued with Rodney asked what part of the city would best suit his needs which then somehow led the topic of family and their annoying habits.

"What about your sister annoys you most?" Jennifer asked as she put the empty bottle on the table.

"That's easy," Rodney said with a slight laugh. "She insists on using my first name, knowing how much I hate it."

She looked at her date perplexed, "Rodney is not your real name?"

"Yes and no. Rodney is my middle name. I just have a really horrible first name I don't use," he looked a bit embarrassed to admit that fact.

Jennifer thought it was kind of cute when he got embarrassed, "How bad could it?"

He gave her a stern look and pointed a single finger at her, "I'll tell you if you promise not to laugh."

"I promise," she held up her hand to show she was serious. Jennifer really wanted to know what it was since Rodney was worked up about it.

Rodney looked between her and down at his lap. He had not told anyone besides his manager, family or those who knew him while growing up what his real name was. "It's Meredith," he said in a child like voice, almost afraid of being rejected for it.

It was amusing and it took all that she had to not let out even a single chuckle. "That's not that bad," Jennifer reached out to take _Meredith's _hand. This would have been the kind of information that Janet and Marie would die to know, but Jennifer was not going to betray his trust. "I promise I won't tell anyone." It was interesting to watch him go from so self-assured to doubting himself so quickly, but everyone had their Achilles heel and Rodney's was his first name.

"Thank you!" It meant a lot to hear that. "I know it is stupid to get worked up over something like that, but I was picked on quite a bit growing up. Having a girl's name, being overweight and being a music and science geek made for some rough times."

Now Jennifer could not control the slight laugh and her expression changed when she saw the hint of hurt from Rodney. "What I mean is that you overcame that. You are a very successful pianist and you grew into a very seductive man that I look forward to getting to know much better." The smiling physician knew two dates was too soon to fall in love, but Jennifer knew deep down she was starting to. The intense feelings scared her, but something about his presence relaxed those fears.

"Seductive?" Rodney asked, not sure if he heard her right. "I've heard that word used to describe my music, but never me. What makes you say that?" This woman was going to take some getting used to as his last few relationships the women were more interested in his music and Jennifer's interest was clearly focused on him.

"What first attracted me to you was your eyes and smile. It's like they have a power of their own," Jennifer grinned before she placed a kiss at the corner of one of his eyes then at the corner of his mouth. "That was before we started talking and I learned there was a lot more to the dreamy eyes and smile."

_You are the seductive one._ An expression of contentment washed over Rodney. "My smartest move all week was offering you that drink. I had no idea I would be finding much more," he put on his most charming smiles and made the move to kiss his date.

This time there nothing holding the couple back and almost three hours later, Jennifer finally pulled away just before she was about to remove Rodney's last article of clothing. She looked over at the pile of clothes on floor which included everything both had on earlier except her panties and his boxers. She knew they had only let things go this far because neither was thinking clearly because of the alcohol consumed.

"What is it?" Rodney asked as he rested his hands on the hips of the woman sitting on top of him.

"Nothing," Jennifer smiled as she shook her head. "I just want to save the rest for when both of us aren't half drunk," she leaned down and kissed him, letting her hair tickle his chest. Just because they were not going to go any further, it did not mean she had to stop kissing him. "Your kisses are almost addictive as your smile."

"I don't have to stop doing either," he sat up, keeping Jennifer in the same position. Rodney was glad they had stopped where they did as it showed that she had some character and was not in this for just the physical side of the relationship. The physical stuff was amazing, but he knew they both would have regretted it in the morning if they had gone all the way. Alcohol was a dangerous beast and thought that the liquid should be banned on future dates. Three beers usually did not affect him like this, but it had been a high alcohol beer, which had about double the alcohol as beers he normally drank.

The pianist was getting to an age where he was growing tired of one-night stands and if he wanted to think about settling down, he needed to stop picking up random women. He was not sure if Jennifer was that woman, but he was having a good feeling about her.


	6. Apartment Hunting Part 1

**A/N: Please read and review. Thanks to Shadows-of-Realm for the quick beta**

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**Chapter 6- Apartment Hunting - Part 1**

Rodney groaned as the sunlight hit his eyes and rolled onto his back to see what time it was. His eyes closed when the clock said it was only seven thirty. "Damn you sun," he grumpily grumbled and pulled the covers over his face. There was only a dull ache in his head from last night's beers, but the pain was eclipsed by his smile as he played the events of last night over in his mind. That is when the pangs of guilt started to gnaw at his gut. As much as the musician enjoyed the feelings Jennifer stirred inside of him, he was worried that that they had taken things too far too quickly. Normally he would not have cared and he knew there was only one person who could help sort things out. It did not dawn on him that it was only four thirty in Vancouver.

"Hello," Jeannie said groggily as she looked to see what time it was. "This better be important," she sighed when the she saw the clock said it was way too early for a phone call.

"Hey, it's me. I need advice," the tired man rubbed his head. "I know that it's early, but I don't know who else to ask."

"Meredith," she groaned as she looked at her still sleeping husband. "What do you want?" the groggy woman got out of bed as to not to disturb her partner. "Are you still in New York?"

"Yes, I'm still in New York. Going to stay here a while too, but that is not why I called. I need help with a woman."

The reason did not well with Jeannie, "You called me for relationship advice at this hour? You really don't have a concept of time do you?"

Rodney frowned into the phone, "Think of it as payback for always calling me by my first name."

"You didn't get some woman pregnant, did you?" the suddenly concerned woman knew her brother enjoyed having his fun with women.

"What? Wait. No. Why would you even ask that? His voice rose several octaves; he was stunned that his own sister would ask him that question.

"Because I know what you like to do when you get bored on tour," Jeannie answered matter-of-factly.

"Hardy har har. I am done with my tour. Are you going to listen to me or not?" Rodney was not in the mood for their banter.

"What is on your mind at this ungodly hour?"

"How did you know John was the one? Did you know right away or was it after you had been dating for a while?" This was the first time he was asking his baby sister for serious relationship advice.

Any lingering drowsiness Jeannie had vanished with the question, "You met someone? When did this happen?"

"The other day. Jennifer is so different from anyone I've met before. I'm scared I might have screwed things up with her last night," Rodney started to ramble.

"What happened? You've only known her a few days?"

"I think we might have taken things too fast too soon. We both were a bit drunk. It was an amazing three hours." A smile formed on his lips as he recalled those heavenly three hours where their hands and mouths took turns slowly exploring each other's bodies.

"Three hours? What's the big deal? You've told me that you had sex on the first date," Jeannie shook her head. She did not see why he was calling her to tell her this.

"It was our second date and we did not have sex. Close, but we stopped before that. I really like her and we kind of lost control of ourselves," Rodney sighed. "She is supposed to help me look for an apartment today. I don't know what to say to her." The uncertainty was new for the musician.

Her jaw dropped when her brother admitted that he did not have sex, "If you didn't have sex, what were you doing for three hours? Wait I don't want to know. Forget that I asked." That was not a mental picture she needed. Jeannie started to laugh, "Wow! Sounds like you have it bad for this woman. With John it was a couple of months before I knew I wanted to marry him. You don't want a repeat of your last relationship. She turned out to be a stalker fan."

"Jennifer isn't like that. She didn't know who I was until after we first met. It was my good looks and charm that first reeled her in," he hated to be reminded of the insane woman that sent x-rated pictures of her on a daily basis.

"How did you end things with her last night?"

"We kissed and I told her I would call her in the morning," Rodney explained.

"Just go with that. Act as if what happened was no big deal. You are going to be forty-two next month, not a teenager. I find this really amusing...cute if I dare say. So tell me about this woman that has you head over heels," Jeannie was interested to hear what kind of woman got his brother worked up.

"What do you want to know?" he knew that his sister could not see the wide grin on his face.

"Everything," she hoped that she was not going to regret this.

Rodney spent the better part of an hour telling Jeannie all there was to know about Jennifer.

"Wow! You do have it bad. My brother is in love," she teased him.

"Love? Who said anything about that?" he was flustered and blushed.

"Your words say it all, old man. Congratulations."

"Um...well. I am hanging up on you now, brat." Rodney hung up the phone with a cheesy grin on his face. A second later he picked it back up and dialed Jennifer's number.

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Jennifer had been lying in bed for the past hour, reflecting on her evening with Rodney. Every time she closed her eyes she could feel his lips on her and the sensation still made her shiver with excitement. Her feeling were divided; part of her felt guilty for letting herself lose control as she did and the other longed to feel the trill Rodney stirred in her. Her feelings were never this intense with any man before. His smile alone did things to her that she could not describe. The only worry was that he was going to pull away because of what happened.

When the phone rang her heart skipped a beat and Jennifer's muscles tensed, "Hello."

"Morning, beautiful," Rodney took his sister's advice and acted as if their near sexual encounter was not a big deal. "How are you feeling?"

"Heya, handsome," she was relieved that he called. "Have a bit of a headache, but I'm good. How about you?"

"Headache is almost gone. I wanted to see if we were still on for today. I...i just wasn't sure..." There was no delicate way to bring up the previous evening.

Jennifer could hear the hesitation in his voice and an icy fear took hold of her, "W...w...why wouldn't we be? I said that I'd help you look for an apartment." She too was hesitant.

"Okay. Good then. Do you want to meet for coffee before? I can bring my laptop so we can get an idea of what kind of apartments are out there." Rodney did not want to get a head of himself, but a coffee date was not too much to ask for.

"Sure. I would like that. When do you want to meet?" She was relieved that their plans for the day were not going to change. Jennifer knew they were going to have to talk about what happened, but getting together was a first step seeing if there was still something between them.

"How about an hour and half in front of your apartment. It's one of the few places I know how to get to," he knew that is was the chivalrous thing for the man to pick up the woman.

"You don't have to come get me. We can meet somewhere." She was not going to say it, but she found it incredibly sweet that he offered to pick her up.

"But what if I want to?"

Jennifer knew there was something about his tone that said she would not be able to change his mind. "An hour and a half it is. See you soon," one could almost hear her smile through the phone if it was possible.

"See you then. Goodbye, Jennifer."

"Goodbye, Rodney."


	7. Apartment Hunting Part 2

A/N: Characters are not mine as they belong to MGM and other parties. I only created the new universe they live in. Please leave a review. They help my muses work faster. Thank you to all those who have been reading and supporting this story.

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**Chapter 7- Apartment Hunting Part 2**

As promised, Rodney was in front of Jennifer's building at the time he said. His hands were stuffed into his jacket pocket on this chilly December morning. Living in California the past fifteen years had babied the man when it came to cold weather, but this was still nothing compared to the winters where the pianist knew growing up.

Jennifer felt a rush when she saw the man waiting for her. She slid up behind him and lightly bumped him with her hip, "Waiting long?"

"Not at all," he shook his head. "Where are we going? I passed three Starbucks since I got off the subway," Rodney smiled before pulling the woman to him for a small kiss. She definitely had something magnetic about her and he could not resist letting others know how he felt.

The sweet kiss was quite enjoyable and she laughed at the cold feel of his cheek against her warm skin, "California boy not used to the cold?" Jennifer teased as she looped her arm into his.

"Funny," he made a face and returned the hip bump. "This is considered warm to winters where I grew up. We were lucky if the temperature was above negative ten. That is in celsius. Sorry, naturally default to metric system," Rodney started to mentally convert to fahrenheit, but gave up. "Just say for several months it was well below freezing."

"And I thought growing up in Wisconsin was cold," the blonde's eyes went wide. They had mentioned their childhoods but never where they grew up, "Where did you grow up?"

"A hamlet in northern Alberta called Fort McMurray. It's a very cold boring place with nothing to do." It felt right to walk with Jennifer on his arm. Rodney tried to hide the casual glances he was making to look her over. "What about you? Where in Wisconsin are you from?"

"Chippewa Falls. It's not too far from Eau Claire. I moved to New York for college and never left," there were times Jennifer missed home because of her father, but he had not live in Wisconsin in three years since he moved to Arizona. The father and daughter made sure to talk at least three times a week.

"Where did you go to college?" He realized that with all the talking they had done that they never touched on certain topics. That is what little dates like this were for and for helping him find a place to live.

"Columbia for undergrad and medical school. What about you?"

"Julliard."

"So you lived here before?"

"But that was twenty years ago and I really didn't go out much. I was a bit of a geek back then," Rodney snickered as he recalled how different he was back then.

Jennifer huddled closer as they walked, "I don't see it. You mentioned that last night too. Why do you say you were a geek?"

"Besides being called that by everyone, I had my grade six science fair project confiscated by the CIA and RCMP and was questioned by both for six hours," he shrugged as if it was not a big deal.

The shocked woman stopped in her tracks, "What did you do?" She wondered what someone could do at age twelve to have that kind of reaction.

"Built a working model of an atomic bomb," Rodney said in a sheepish tone.

Jennifer was shocked, knowing that was not a simple task. There were not many adults that could build something that complex and to hear that Rodney did it before he was a teenager she was rather amused, "Not just a pretty face," she teased and kissed his cheek.

The musician laughed and shook his head, "Just like you. Another thing we have in common; brains and beauty." He wondered if Jeannie was onto something when she was teasing him about being in love. Rodney had always believed that love at first sight was something made up to appease the hopeless romantics and now he felt that it might have happened to him. It was going to be his secret until he knew for sure.

"Exactly. Good to know we are thinking alike," the blonde felt her stomach flutter at his words. "This place is a lot better than any Starbucks and they have the best muffins you'll ever have. They have wi-fi too," Jennifer pointed to the laptop sleeve tucked under Rodney's other arm.

The cosy coffee shop was busy with mostly tourists taking a break from holiday shopping and there was not much empty tables available, "There's a spot," he nodded to an oversized chair that could easily sit both of them. Rodney tossed his jacket over the back of the chair and held out his hand to take Jennifer's coat and hat.

"Thank you," she handed the coat and hat over. "How big of an apartment are you looking for?" Jennifer started to laugh when she noticed they both had on a pair of jeans and green turtlenecks.

"And apparently dressing alike. Definitely thinking on some wavelength. I did not plan this. I didn't plant a camera to see what you were wearing. Though I probably got dressed before you did." This was rather amusing and his mouth was working faster than his brain so he rambled slightly. Rodney winced at how bad his line about planting a camera must have sounded. "People are probably looking at us like we are one those bubbly sickeningly sweet couples that dress alike even though this was totally unintentional."

Jennifer bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from laughing. There was something endearing about the way his hands moved as quickly as his mouth. "Come and join me, Rodney," she patted the space next to her.

"Which muffin is your favorite?" Rodney asked as he looked over the menu. There was a wide assortment to choose from and he was unsure which one to pick.

"I would go for the banana chocolate," Keller suggested. She usually ordered the lemon poppy, but Jennifer would forgo it for obvious reasons.

Rodney turned on his laptop and found himself instinctively leaning toward Jennifer. The scent of her perfume was acting like a lure and he needed to pull away, but the more he fought it the closer he got. _Get a hold of yourself, McKa_y. He squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath to gather his thoughts.

"Besides good acoustics, what else are you looking for in an apartment?" Goosebumps formed on her neck as she felt each of Rodney's breaths against her skin. Jennifer turned and was nearly face to face with the intoxicating man. Her head became foggy just like the night before and she tried to break from his spell.

"I like a lot of natural light. It helps me concen..." he was concentrated on her face and nothing else. The pianist was about to kiss her when the waiter bought their coffee and muffins. _Saved by the food._ Rodney sat up straight and moved to the other corner of the chair. "We need to talk about last night," he knew they needed to clear the air about the events in her apartment and set boundaries for future dates.

The words made the woman's blood run cold. Jennifer knew they needed to talk about it, but the way he said it made her fearful of what Rodney would say next, "I know." She chewed her lip nervously.

"I know we are both adults and what happened last night is nothing to be ashamed of," the nervous man reached out to take her hand. "That is not to say I didn't enjoy what we did because I did." Rodney's lips twitched into a small smile.

"I did too," she squeezed his hand. "The beer kind of went straight to my head. Three beers don't usually affect me like that." Jennifer could see his eyes nervously dart about and that made her nervous as well.

"It was a specialty beer that has about double the alcohol of normal beer, so it was like we had six," he shook his head. "That's beside the point. I know we've known each other only a couple of days, but I really like you. Like you a lot and with as far as things went last night I didn't want you to think that I only offered to buy you that drink the other night because I only wanted to get you into bed." Rodney knew that did come out right and gained the couple a few stares from surrounding tables. "There is just something different about you. I don't know how to explain it."

The anxiety that she had been feeling vanished when Jennifer realized that Rodney had been feeling the same things she had been. "Neither can I," she removed her hand from his and pressed it to his cheek. "And you don't want to rush things? You want to see if this is real and not that high you get from a new relationship?"

"Exactly!" Rodney's muscles relaxed when he realized they were on the same page. He turned to kiss her palm, "Time to look for apartments?"

"Sounds like a plan," she turned her attention to laptop and placed her hand on his knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. Jennifer leaned against Rodney, hoping that these feelings were real because she knew it would be a rude awaking if they were not.

As he started to look at real estate websites, Rodney kept one hand on his laptop and slid his other arm around Jennifer's waist. _Feels just right._

After about a half hour of no luck in finding anything Rodney liked, Jennifer thought a change of subject might bring him some luck. "Do you have any plans for the holidays?" She knew Christmas was still three weeks away and she was curious if he had plans.

The musician nodded, "My sister and her husband come over with the kids and we usually have a barbecue at my house. Not very traditional, but it's our tradition. What about you?"

"My dad usually come here, but he can't make it this year, so I'm going out to him to Arizona," Jennifer was not happy about breaking their traditions, but most importantly they would still be spending the holiday together as a family.

"Where does he live?"

"Yuma. Is that far from you?"

Rodney shook his head, "Not really. It's only about a two and half to three hour drive. I live in Encinitas. How long are you going to be there?" A plan to meet up was already forming in his head.

"Until the day after New Years. What about you?" Jennifer liked where these questions were going.

He shrugged, "Haven't booked a return flight yet, but won't be staying for too long. Now, I was thinking if you don't have plans for New Year's Eve that we can ring in the New Year together."

The woman's face lit up at the idea, "I like that idea." She looked back at Rodney with a genuine smile.

"Oh," Rodney suddenly piped up. "I think I found it," he pointed to the computer screen. As he looked at the pictures and read the specs, he had a good feeling about the apartment. "Plans for New Year's Eve and a possible lead on an apartment within seconds of each other. You are quite the lucky charm, Jennifer."

"Hmmm. Let's see you say that after you look at the apartment," Jennifer laughed and placed a quick peck on Rodney's lips.

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To be continued...Holidays out West


	8. His Christmas

**A/N: Tried to get out the Christmas chapters by Christmas, but preparations for the holiday did not allow me to. I hope that I can get Jennifer's done today. This is unbetaed so mistakes are mine. Thank you for all the kind reviews. Reposted to add a few lines. The muse hit me after I posted.**

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**Chapter 8- His Christmas**

Rodney woke to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach. This was his second night home and it was a welcome change to be woken by the relaxing sounds of the ocean instead of the loud city noises. He was closing on his Manhattan apartment in three weeks and once his album was done, he would have to decide how to split his time between his two homes. That decision would largely depend on how well things were going with Jennifer, but if the last three weeks were any indication, New York might become his permanent residence. Rodney thought he was happy before, but none of that compared to what he had felt the last month.

There was something refreshing about the early morning ocean air and he spent several minutes enjoying the breeze blowing in. As Rodney got out of bed he could hear the noise of his sister's family coming from downstairs. Of course, with a two, six and seven year old the Sheppard side of the family was up before the sun had risen. He was grateful that they had allowed him to sleep in. Not that eight A.M. was sleeping in, however on Christmas morning it was. After a shower, the musician joined his family who were eating breakfast in the kitchen. "Merry Christmas," he greeted the family and made a beeline for the coffee and poured himself a large mug.

"Merry Christmas, sleepy head," Jeannie gave her brother a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks again for picking us up at the airport," she said sarcastically as she lightly slapped him on the back. She could not resist teasing him for sort of breaking the promise to pick them up at the airport. The younger woman loved her brother more than anything, but as with any sibling there were times where they drove each other crazy.

"Hey, I sent a car to pick you up," Rodney said with a slight whine. "I got wrapped up in the piece I was working on."

"Honey, you should better than to disturb an artist when they are at work," John said in a joking but condescending way that was normal for the two men. The two acted as if they were real brothers and not in-laws and John knew it drove his wife crazy when they acted like children instead of grown men. There once had been an incident with corn kernels, a homemade slingshot and the children's stuffed animals. The dark haired man could not come up with a reasonable excuse for what they did, but Jeannie kept on finding corn kernels in the oddest of places for a month after the incident.

The only woman in the house raised an eyebrow, "Or were you on the phone with your girlfriend and couldn't be bothered with us?" Jeannie obviously teased her older sibling. She had not heard him talk about the woman since the early morning phone call.

"I was working. I haven't talked to Jennifer since my flight landed. We aren't joined at the hip," Rodney shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. He sulked just to make his sister feel bad, knowing it was not going to work.

"You are seeing someone?" John asked with a grin. "Is this the same one you called at four in the morning to ask about?"

"You told him?"

Jeannie rolled her eyes, "I told him. What do you expect? You called so early. But you look happy, Mer. Good for you."

"Yeah, good for you, Rodney and Merry Christmas man," John clasped his brother-in-law around the shoulder.

"Hey, Jack...Sam. What do you say to your uncle?" The mother tried to get her two oldest boys attention, but they were too engrossed in their DSiXLs to pay attention to anything else other than their new toys.

"Boys," John yanked the handheld gaming systems from the kids, to which both reacted with a heavy sigh.

"But, dad," both boys whined at the same time.

"You at least want to say hi to me right, Danny? We can forget about your brothers. They are too busy to bother with us," Rodney ruffled his youngest nephew's hair, which was dark and messy like his fathers.

"Hi," Daniel held up his arms as if he wanted to be picked up.

"When I'm done with my coffee, little one," Rodney took a long sip from the mug and turned to the other children. "New toys? Is a hello or Merry Christmas too much to ask for?"

"Hello, Uncle Rodney. Merry Christmas," Sam said quickly before reaching for the video game system.

Jack looked up for a second and mumbled something similar to his brother.

"Jack," the boy was scolded by his mother. "I should take that game away from you."

Rodney could only laugh at his oldest nephew, "What it is to be a kid again. I used to do the same thing when I was your age, except I didn't have portable video games." He was not offended by the boy's behavior and found it amusing. "I have some gifts for you under the tree, why don't you get them."

That of course got Jack and Sam's attention and both boys ran at lightning speed to retrieve the gifts.

Rodney took one of the seats left empty by the boys, "Are you staying for a few days or do you have some pressing business in Vancouver? It would be nice if you can stay for a while."

"I have a big meeting on Monday. How I miss being in the Air Force," John grumbled. Since being injured in Afghanistan nine years ago which lead to early retirement from the Air Force, he had worked at his family's company. It was more of a figurehead position, but he did his fair share of complaining about it. "You've got it good, Rodney. You get to do what you love and there are the groupies."

"John!" Jeannie slapped her husband's arm.

"What? I'm just saying. I hear things at work. There are three women who work at my office who drove to your Seattle show and it's all they talked for days. It's a good thing they have no idea we are related," the former military man laughed. "You should have heard them when they came back; he's so dreamy," he mimicked the women's voices

"Let's not feed the beast's ego anymore. Let's keep it tame today," Jeannie threw a paper towel at her brother and stuck her tongue out. "But let me guess, he only cares what... what's her name thinks?"

Rodney rolled his eyes as he sipped from his mug, "Her name is Jennifer. Yes, what she thinks is important to me. It's only been a month, but I cannot explain it." His face lit up as he talked about the woman.

"I think I can."

"I know. There is no need to point it out."

"Did you tell her?" Jeannie asked with a smile. It had been a long time since she had seen her brother in love and hoped it would not end the same way, with her brother's heart almost irreparably broken. Even with their bickering, both siblings were fiercely protective of each other.

"Not yet. Waiting for the right time," Rodney smirked. "I don't want to rush things. We're taking things slow after what happened that night."

The sister put her arm around Rodney, "When do I get to meet this Jennifer that has you grinning like an idiot?"

"If you were staying for New Years you would get to," he pulled away from his sister. "But since your hubby has a meeting you will miss her."

"Maybe I will fly back to meet her unless you two want to be alone," Jeannie looked her brother over and started to laugh as she was hit with a realization. "You didn't sleep with her yet? Oh, wow. That's new for you," she teased, but there was truth to her words and it was a shock that he had not consummated the relationship. "You are really serious about this one?" there was a genuine smile on her face, clearly happy for Rodney.

"I am," Rodney looked between his sister and John. "Enough about me. What about you? Any plans for more little ones? Still want that girl?"

John let out a snort, "Three is enough. We will leave it up to you to have the girl."

The musician choked on his coffee, "Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself? I will make you eat those tofu mushroom burgers I bought for your wife."

"Funny, Mer. Real funny. John has a point. Bringing a girl into the family is all up to you."

Rodney scowled, "Well, we'll see about that. Right now, I'm going to call my girlfriend to wish her a Merry Christmas. Try not to plan too much of my future when I'm gone." He said with a wave before he grabbed his cell phone and walked out to the deck.

Once her brother was gone, Jeannie turned to her husband, "A hundred bucks says this time next year we'll be attending his wedding." There was something about Rodney's behavior that made her think he had found his match.

"Make it Fourth of July and you got a bet."


	9. Her Christmas

**A/N: I know this is late for a Christmas Chapter, but I was stuck on the end and a big thanks goes to Dani for helping me figuring this out. Also thanks to those who have been reading this so far. Unbetaed mistakes are mine**

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**Chapter 9- Her Christmas**

_Christmas Eve_

Jennifer stepped off the plane and took in a deep breath before heading to baggage claim. She always hated flights with layovers and the two hours she spent in Phoenix made her antsy and ready to be on solid ground for good. The woman was looking forward to spending some quality with her father, as it had been eight months since she last saw him. _So much for her dream of a White Christmas. _

Trevor Keller smiled when he saw his daughter approach the baggage carousel. "Jen," he called out to the woman.

"Dad," the woman turned around at the sound of the man's voice and broke into a big smile. "It's been a while," Jennifer pulled the man into a tight hug. It had been too long since she had seen the man she hated the fact they lived so far away.

"My little one," it was odd to call an almost thirty-year-old woman that, but Jennifer would always be his little girl. "How was flight?"

The blonde made a face, "You know how I hate layovers." Her arm went around Trevor's shoulder, "What do you say we get my bags?" Jennifer nudged the man toward where the bags were coming out.

"Nice bracelet. Did you treat yourself to an early Christmas gift?" the father admired the pink diamond bracelet. "I know you've wanted one for a while now."

Jennifer blushed slightly, "It was a gift." She had exchanged gifts with Rodney before he left and she had no idea how he knew that she had wanted a bracelet just this. The plane ride had given her time to think and one thing was clear; she definitely was in love with the man that had quickly become an important part of her life in the last month. All there was left was to tell Rodney how she felt, but she was scared to say anything until she was sure he felt the same way.

"That's a very nice gift, Jen," Trevor was curious who had given his daughter such an expensive gift and knew it had to be someone special for her to blush like she was.

"I'll tell you about it when we get to the house," she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"What's his name?" the man did not want to wait. He was interested in what type of man was trying to woo his daughter.

"Rodney," Jennifer did not want to get into much detail here. "My bags," she pointed and grabbed one of her bags as her father grabbed the other. "What have you been up to?"

Trevor laughed, "Nice diversion, Jen." The man grabbed the second suitcase and headed toward the exit, "I've been good. Work is busy. Have a bit of bad news though."

"What is it?" the woman was worried.

"I was supposed to have the whole week off, but one of the men I work with, his wife had their daughter a couple weeks early so I need to cover his shift New Years Eve and Day," he hoped that Jennifer would not be too upset him.

Jennifer was relieved that it was not that serious, "Dad, don't scare me like that again. It's okay. I kind of made tentative plans anyway." She did not feel so bad about enjoying the New Year with Rodney.

"You do? With the guy who gave you that bracelet?" Trevor subtly pressed for more information.

"Yes, with him," she allowed with a small smile.

"Does this mean you are leaving for New York early?" the father asked, wondering how short his daughter was cutting her trip.

Jennifer shook her head, "I'm not leaving early. Rodney lives a few hours away. I'm not sure what our plans are. I'm leaving that up to him."

Trevor was intrigued, "You will have to tell me all about this guy. Is he some kind of big corporate type?" The father made an assumption based on the gift.

She laughed at the idea, knowing Rodney was far from the stuffy suit and tie type, "No. Far from it. He's a musician...pianist actually."

Hearing Rodney's career choice did not go over well with the father as images of struggling musician entered his head. Trevor wondered how he could have afforded a bracelet like the one his daughter had on, "Is that his only job?" There was a hint of worry of what his daughter was involved with and that she would be supporting the man.

Jennifer nodded, "Yes. I know what you are getting at, dad. Don't worry about it." She was a little worried how her father would take the age difference.

Trevor looked at his daughter, the concern obviously written on his face, "I'll never stop worrying about you. It's a lifetime job. When you say musician I get this image of this unkempt, never showering man who lives off charity of his friends." He had to be sure his daughter knew what she was getting into.

"Rodney is not like that," she looked at her father and sighed.

"But you are hiding something?" the father could not shake the feeling there was something Jennifer was keeping from him. "What are you hiding?"

Jennifer nodded, "Rodney is going to be forty two next month and he's Canadian. At my age twelve years is not much a difference, right?" She gave her father a hopeful smile.

Trevor was relieved that it was nothing more serious. He imagined that, "He's older. That's it?"

"That's it."

"But I think the Canadian thing is a deal breaker. I'm sorry Jen I don't think I could allow you to date someone from there," Trevor obviously teased.

"Funny, dad," Jennifer said with a dry laugh. Her father's sense of humor was groan worthy at times.

"Does he treat you well?" That is all that really mattered to the father.

"He does. Rodney is really great. It's been an amazing month since I've met him," Jennifer blushed and averted her eyes from her father.

Trevor knew the look well and was not going to push until Jennifer wanted to talk, "As long as he continues to be a great guy I won't have any problems with him."

_

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_

_Christmas Day_

Jennifer came out of her room with a huge smile on her. When her phone woke her up, the physician was angry at until she heard Rodney's voice on the other end. Having heard his voice be the first thing she heard caused a surge of excitement to course through her body. It was something she hoped to be waking to more in the future... a lot more.

Trevor looked up when he heard the door open, "Morning, sweetie. Sleep well?" He wondered what put such a huge smile on her face so early in the morning.

The young woman nodded, "I did. Merry Christmas, dad." She kissed the elder Keller on the cheek.

"Same to you, Jen," he hugged his only child tightly. "Thanks for coming to me this year. I know how you love New York at Christmas and it means a lot to me that you came."

"All that matters is that we are together," Jennifer forced a smile. Truth be told she was worried about the change in tradition. "Is everything okay, dad? You aren't sick or anything?"

Trevor shook his head, "I'm fine. Still in perfect health." He lightly squeezed her hand. "I appreciate the worrying." He knew today was not to break the news to as he wanted them to enjoy what was normally their favorite holiday.

"What are your plans for us today?" the physician wondered if at least one of their traditions would stand.

"Your Aunt Linda is coming over later in the day."

"Aunt Linda? I haven't seen her in years," Jennifer had lost contact with her mother's only sister after graduating medical school. "It will be great to see her." _As long as she behaves._

Trevor gave his daughter a half smile, "She has wanted to see you for a while now. I take it by that smile you just got off the phone with that boyfriend of yours. What are his plans for today? You could invite him over if the drive isn't too much."

The physician shook her head, "Rodney has his sister, brother-in-law and nephews over. They have a tradition of a barbecue overlooking the beach."

"Interesting tradition. Doesn't your boyfriend live in New York? You didn't say it was a long distance thing," he recalled that she mentioned that he lived a few hours away yesterday, but he did not make the connection until now.

"He will. Rodney just purchased an apartment in New York and he has a house in California." Jennifer was a little worried how her boyfriend was going to spend time between his two residences, but she reminded herself that he said he was staying in New York until he finished his album and she hoped that would take a long while.

The two Kellers started to catch up on the little things that their phone calls left out. It was a perfect Christmas morning with the father/daughter bonding time. Little did Jennifer know the perfect day was about to be shattered.

After several hours of watching various Christmas specials on television, it was getting to be mid afternoon when the doorbell rang.

"That's going to be Linda," Trevor almost leapt off the couch to answer the door.

Jennifer cringed when the nasal voice of her aunt pierced her eardrums, recalling instantly why she lost contact with the woman despite her being the only blood relative left of her mother.

"Jenny, there you are darling. It has been too long. Look at you. You are too skinny. Trevor, you haven't been feeding her," Linda looked her niece up and down, shaking her head. She took Jennifer's left in hers and sighed, "Not married yet. You know you aren't getting any younger. The older you get the harder it is to find someone."

The young woman took a deep breath and forced a smile on her face. She wondered how one person could cram so many insults into a few sentences, "No, but my boyfriend bought the bracelet you are looking at." Jennifer quickly snatched her hand away. She looked toward her father for help and reminded herself family was family no matter what and that her aunt was generally a good person, but sometimes she focused a little too much on material things.

"Good for you. You need to have a little fun in your life. Last time I recall you had your head buried so far in your books," the older woman turned toward Trevor and smiled fondly. "Trevor, dear did you tell Jenny our news yet?"

Trevor's face became gripped with fear and became deathly pale, "I did not think it was the right time, Lin." The father knew he should have warned the woman not to bring up what would most certainly be a touchy subject.

Jennifer looked between the older couple, "What news? What's going on?" She knew something had been up with her father even if he denied it.

This is not how he wanted to break the news, but there was not an easy way to do this, "Jennifer, please sit." Trevor guided his daughter back to the couch.

The physician became as pale as her father, "Now you have me scared. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he took Jennifer's hand as he did so many times when she was growing up. "Everything is perfect. I'm getting married."

Jennifer blinked several times as she tried to digest the news. This was not the sort of news she had been expecting. "Excuse me?" she said after several moments of stunned silence. "To whom?" the confused woman asked. With all their conversations, Jennifer wondered why her father never mentioned he was seeing someone.

"Linda," Trevor put his arm around his fiancée.

The whom socked Jennifer in the gut as if she was hit by a truck. She never put much thought into her father moving on after her mother died eight years ago. The daughter assumed it would happen one day and never prepared herself for when it would happen. Her parents had the perfect marriage, so much in love and it almost destroyed her father and her when the woman died unexpectedly from a brain aneurysm.

Trevor knew the silence was not a good sign, "Jen, I know I should have said something. I didn't know what to say to you."

"I...I can't believe this. How could you do this to mom?" There were countless emotions grabbing for control of Jennifer's mind. She felt like her father had just spit upon her mother's grave. Out of all the people he chose to move on it felt like an ultimate betrayal that he chose the sister of his wife of thirty years.

Trevor pulled away from the woman who would be dead if looks could kill, "Linda, can you give us a minute?"

Jennifer shook her head, "Don't bother. I...I...just can't. It's like I don't know you anymore. How long has this been going on and you didn't tell me? It's as if you knew it was wrong and that is why you couldn't...no wouldn't tell me." Her voice was so calm that it was eerie. The calm before the storm. Without looking at either offending party, Jennifer quickly retreated to her room and grabbed her bags. As she started to throw her clothes into the bags, the enraged woman dialled the one person she knew could help her.

"Hello," the voice on the other end answered.

"I need you. I can't take it here anymore. Can you come and get me? Please, Rodney." Just hearing his voice made Jennifer start to feel better.

Rodney heard the desperation in her voice and he did not even need to think about it, "I'm on my way."


	10. The Pick Up

**a/n: Please leave a review. Thanks. This is unbetaed.**

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**Chapter 10- The Pick Up**

Jennifer breathed a sigh of relief when she hung up her cell phone, knowing Rodney was outside waiting for her. It had been a pleasant surprise when the man insisted that they stay on the phone until he arrived. She knew that she would owe him for this, dropping everything on Christmas Day to drive almost three hours to pick her up. Not many people would do that for someone and now he was here.

In their three hour conversation, Rodney focused on keeping her calm and her mind off her problem. His use of the line _I want to be there to hold you when you tell me what's wrong _made her smile a little. Jennifer wondered if the amazing man in her life was too good to be true, that she would wake up and find that the last month had been an elaborate dream her mind fabricated. It would work to erase the nightmare she just witnessed, but not for everything else.

Rodney had been about to knock on the door when it flew open and it did not take a mind reader to see how bad Jennifer was doing. "Hey," he offered. He noted that she looked as bad as she sounded on the phone. The musician knew it was the right call to be here.

Jennifer was relieved that her father and aunt went out and more so that they had not returned by the time Rodney got there. It was a great comfort to see him standing on the other side of the door. "Hey," she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest. The distraught woman could no longer contain the sob that she had been holding back.

"What's going on, baby?" he whispered, kissing the top of the woman's head and held her tightly as to let her know that he was here for her now.

"Can we go now? I don't want to be here when they get back," she lifted her head for a moment. Jennifer had expected to see annoyance on his face for being pulled away from his family on Christmas, but all she saw was concern.

Rodney was worried as he hugged his love tighter, "Who are you talking about?"

"My dad and aunt," she said barely above a whisper.

"What did they do to you?" the worried man lifted Jennifer's chin to look at her in the eyes. There was a sadness that made him hurt for her. Rodney used his thumbs to wipe away a few stray tears that lingered on her face.

Jennifer shook her head, "I'm not ready to talk about it." Doubt began to take over again. _Yes, he is too good to be true. No one would do this for you._ The wounds of past relationships surfaced and she waited for what Rodney would want in return. A month was enough time to get comfortable enough with a person to let one's true colors come through and Jennifer expected a change in Rodney's personality any time now.

"Whenever you are ready," Rodney placed a tender kiss on her forehead before reaching for her bags. "We have about a three drive ahead of us. Hope you don't mind if we stop for coffee in a while. It's been a long day and I know I'll be in need of it soon."

"It's fine. As long as I am out of that house," she said with a hint of a smile. _And you are with me. Maybe this is the real him. _"I can do some of the driving if you are tired." Jennifer figured he had to be getting tired with the driving he had already done.

Rodney put her two bags in the trunk and caught a glimpse of her amused smirk, "What is it?"

"Not the kind of car I expected you to have," she laughed slightly, pointing at the purplish-black Nissan Rogue in front of her.

He frowned, closing the trunk, "What did you expect me to drive?" At least she was laughing, which Rodney took it as a good sign.

"I don't know. I was kind of expecting some kind of flashy sports car," Jennifer admitted sheepishly. "I like the color a lot. It reminds me of that shirt you have." She got into the car and closed the door. She really just wanted Rodney to know how much his coming meant to her.

"Sports cars aren't practical. Plus living where I do is murder on the paint job and who wants to cover and uncover a car every time you want to use it," Rodney said with a smirk as he started the car.

"When did you have one?" she knew that smirk meant something.

"Ten years ago. This gets me where I need to go. Besides flashy car attracts attention and with this people hardly give me a second look when I am out." When Rodney was home in California he usually liked to fly under the radar and try to act as if he had a normal life.

"Makes sense," Jennifer agreed and looked down as she twisted her hands. "All joking aside, I really appreciate you coming for me, Rodney. Thank you. It really means a lot," she reached out for his free hand and laced their fingers together.

He reassured Jennifer, "That's what lo..." Rodney stopped himself from saying that word, knowing it was probably not the right time to bring up that subject. "That's what being in a relationship is about, right? Being there whenever the one you care about needs you because you want to be there." _Nice save, McKay. I do love you, though._

Jennifer's lip started twitching as she did not miss his near slip. Her heart fell to her stomach not knowing the reason he stopped. His final words gave her reason to smile, "You've gone above and beyond."

"I'm an above and beyond kind of guy," he replied with a goofy grin. When Rodney saw his comment got the desired reaction, a genuine smile from Jennifer, "Mission accomplished."

"More like one of a kind," the physician looked at their linked hands and then at his other hand on the steering wheel. At this moment, she was more grateful than normal to have someone like Rodney in her life. _It's okay. I love you too_. At least that is what she hoped he had meant to say. Jennifer settled back into the seat. She was not ready to talk yet as she was comforted enough just holding his hand.

"Why don't you get some rest. We've got a while before we arrive at my place," he stole a glance at her and was glad to see that Jennifer was looking less stressed.

Jennifer shook her head, "I'm fine. I like watching you more."

Rodney let out a throaty laugh, "You realize how corny that sounds?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Keep driving, McKay." She knew this was only a temporary distraction and everything would come crashing back down when they got to his place. Jennifer needed this moment of levity with Rodney.

"So you see it," he smirked and brought her hand to his lips.

The small gesture made the woman blush, "Whose the corny one now? Thank you for this. For everything." Jennifer had no doubt that he would be just as sweet when she was ready to tell him about her father's betrayal to her and her mother.

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**TBC...There is a lot more comforting Rodney to come next chapter :)**


	11. Being There

A/N: Here is the next chapter. Sorry it took so long to get this out, but this chapter took on a life of its own and ended up being longer than I intended. Enjoy and please leave a review

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**Chapter 11- Being There**

By the time Rodney and Jennifer arrived at his house it was nearing midnight and all the lights were off which was a good thing, knowing Jennifer did not need to deal with his family right now. "Everyone is asleep. You don't have to worry about them tonight."

Jennifer took a deep breath as she got out of the car. There was an almost calming effect that the ocean breeze had on her and she frowned as she looked at how exhausted Rodney looked. He had not complained once on the ride back and it made her feel bad that he insisted on driving the whole way. "Come here," she grabbed one of the belt loops of his shorts.

"What?" Rodney asked as he tried to stifle a yawn. He was about to get her bags from the trunk when he was pulled toward her.

"Just wanted you to thank you again," she stood up on her toes and quickly pressed her lips to his.

"There is no need to thank me," the musician used the back of his hand to caress Jennifer's cheek. "You needed me and so I came." He made as if what he did was no big deal.

"But I want to," Jennifer looked into his eyes and sighed. "I can't believe they did this to me?" Fresh tears sprung to her eyes. She could not hold in the overwhelming feeling of betrayal anymore.

Rodney knew this coming and lifted Jennifer's chin so that their eyes locked, "Talk to me." He kissed the woman's tears away.

"My dad...he's getting remarried." She knew there was a possibility that it was going to happen, but it was who he was marrying and how they had told her that had the physician so distraught.

Rodney was not sure why his girlfriend was having such a negative reaction. "I'm sorry," his tone showed his confusion.

"He's marrying my mother's sister, Linda. He never even told me he was seeing someone. That's what so hard about this. It's like he knew this was wrong and didn't say anything. Out of everyone why did it have to be her?" Jennifer's contempt for her aunt could be felt with every word.

He knew that was reason enough to be upset, "I don't know." It was true, Rodney had not met either person and could not comment on the why, but he needed to be here for whatever she needed. "Let's go inside."

Jennifer nodded wordlessly and grabbed one of her bags before they headed inside. "Am I crazy for being this upset?"

Rodney threw his keys onto the table next to the door, "No. It sounds like they blindsided you with news. You said Christmas was always you and your father's holiday and to have her show up and then for them to tell you. Anyone has a right to be upset."

"And she isn't even a nice person most of the time. As soon as she walked in Linda was condescending," the upset blonde clenched her fists.

"What did she say?" he was trying to gage what kind of woman this Linda really was.

Jennifer sighed as she sat on the couch, taking in the surroundings. She thought it was a really nice house and had to wonder why he would give up this to live in New York. "How I was too thin and needed to eat more and how I should learn to have fun," she rolled her eyes. "She doesn't even know me."

"She doesn't know all the fun we have. Give me number I can call her and tell her you know how to have fun. You have fun with me, right?" Rodney asked with a lopsided grin.

She knew what he was trying to do and it was working, "You know I do."

He stood up and offered his hand, "Come with me."

"Where are you taking me?" Jennifer slipped her hand into his.

"A walk on the beach. That way you can yell and scream and then I won't get in trouble for waking up the little ones," Rodney pulled her toward the sliding glass doors that led to the deck.

She let herself be lead outside, "Okay, you can stop now." Jennifer was a little leery about heading into the sand and saw a comfortable lounge chair where they could sit. "Here is fine," the physician pointed to the chair.

"Are you sure? The water is warm...kind of. I can throw you in and you can test the water."

Jennifer's eyes double in size, "You wouldn't dare." She glared at him for a few seconds before she broke out laughing.

Rodney smirked, "Would I?" Without any warning he scooped the woman into his arms and headed toward the stairs that lead to the beach.

"Put me down," she screeched with laughter. "This is not funny, Rodney." Jennifer tried to sound mad, but deep down she was enjoying it.

"How about I drop you in the hot tub?" the playful man made his way toward the tub.

"Not with my clothes on," the blonde poked at Rodney's shoulder.

"What's the big deal?" Rodney pressed the button to turn on the jets with his knee. "Your aunt told you that you needed to have fun. So I'm showing you some." He just wanted to make her smile. It bothered him when Jennifer was upset and he made it his mission tonight to keep her in high spirits.

"Because it's not fun," Jennifer did not sound convinced. A part of her thought it was would be fun. "I'll splash you if you do."

"Then I'll have to join you," the mischievous grin grew as he dropped the woman into the hot tub.

Jennifer glared daggers at her boyfriend for a moment before the expression melted into one of playful mischief. "Don't say I didn't warn you," she started to splash Rodney.

The musician chose to ignore the water being flung in his direction as he kicked off his sandals before he joined Jennifer in the hot tub.

"Crazy one," she splashed water in Rodney's face.

"It's like that now, isn't it?" Rodney splashed back.

"You are so going to get it," Jennifer challenged as she sat at opposite end of the hot tub.

"Really? What are you going to do from over there?" he slowly slid over and stopped when their legs touched.

"You just left your safe zone by coming over here," Jennifer looped her arm though Rodney's. Her eyes sparkled as her brown met his blue.

"That must mean I am in serious trouble by sitting here?" Rodney said with an impish smirk.

The woman nodded, "Oh, really big trouble."

"And what are you going to do about it? What kind of punishment awaits me?" he continued to play along.

Jennifer pretended to ponder punishment until she chose to rest her head on his shoulder, "I'm sure I will think of something, but I like this much more." A small pit of guilt started to form in her stomach. She wondered if it was wrong that she was enjoying herself after she ripped into her father for falling in love when she had done the same.

"Me too," Rodney closed his eyes and just enjoyed the moment. There were many things that he was enjoying more now that he was with Jennifer, including jumping into a hot tub fully clothed.

A small sigh of contentment escaped her lips, "I can stay like this all night."

"We'd be all wrinkly if we did. Wrinkly is not a good look for me." He knew what Jennifer meant and agreed. "Do you want to take this someplace where we won't get all prune-like?"

Jennifer nodded, "Sounds like a plan. I'm starting to get tired and could use some sleep."

Rodney nodded, "You can stay in my room and I'll take the couch in the living room and I'll stay until you fall asleep. My sister and her brood are taking up all the spare rooms." He was nervous about sharing a bed with his girlfriend because he was not sure what she expected to happen and he did not want to misread any signals.

"The couch? Why would you stay there?"

"I... um... thought it would be better that way. You know to give you your space. Just in case you want some time alone," his voice slightly wavered.

Jennifer looked at him curiously and wondered why he was nervous all of a sudden, "What if I want you to stay? I don't want to be alone." She was still feeling right and his house was still strange to her.

"Okay. I'll stay then. Your wish is my command," Rodney was back to the corny comments. "Within reason that is. I am pretty amazing and there I a lot I can do, but I can't do everything. Even I have my limitations," he tried to keep a straight face, but it only lasted ten seconds.

"My boyfriend is certifiable," Jennifer could not express how grateful she was for him right now. No previous boyfriends would have ever thought of doing something this sweet for her. _He's a keeper, for sure. _"You know if this music career doesn't work out you could be a comedian." Laughing with Rodney was better than the tears she would be shedding if she stayed in Arizona. This was only a temporary solution and Jennifer knew she would eventually need to talk to her father and aunt.

"Nah," Rodney sighed dramatically. "I think my humor falls flat on most. You ready to get out?" he asked as he placed a lingering kiss on Jennifer's cheek.

Jennifer felt the electricity from the kiss spread to every inch of her body. "Yes," she had to force herself to pull away. "Oh, it's cold out here," the woman hopped as she got out of the tub. There was a big difference from being in warm water to having the cool ocean breeze blow through your wet clothes.

"You should try doing that naked..." he shook his head when he realized his faux pau. "Just never mind. Let's get inside and warmed up," Rodney was embarrassed at his slip of the tongue and his ears looked like they had spent too much time in the sun.

"One day we will," she wrapped the offered towel around herself. Jennifer felt herself blush in places that she covered. "Umm... Yeah, inside." _Hold yourself, Jen_. It was easy to think about the future when it dealt with Rodney.

A semi-awkward silence came upon them as the couple went to Rodney's room. "There is the bathroom," he pointed to the open door across from him. "You can change in there. Give me you wet clothes when you are done. I can dry both of ours." Rodney spoke without making eye contact.

The slightly embarrassed woman nodded and closed the bathroom door behind her.

_Mind out of the gutter, McKay. She does not need Horny Rodney. You know better than to try something. You aren't ready to take that next step. Now is not the time. You respect Jennifer too much to take advantage of her vulnerable state. You love her. That's right, keep saying it: You love her._

Rodney moved as fast as he could to dry himself and quickly changed for bed. Had he been paying attention the rushed man would have picked a different t-shirt besides the Grouchy Smurf shirt. He opened the door to the balcony and stared into the black abyss of the night ocean, getting lost in its dark beauty.

* * *

Jennifer pressed her back against the door after she closed it. Her mind was bouncing in multiple directions.

_Maybe he was right about the couch. You shouldn't be thinking of sex with him. Wait, now it wouldn't be just sex. Jen, you are not thinking clearly. Remember your second date when neither of you were thinking straight. You are still upset and you'd hate yourself in the morning. Our first time should be special. You just need him to hold you tonight._

It took a few minutes, but Jennifer finally regained control of her better senses. She changed into the pair of pajamas, a pair of yoga pants and tank top, which she had grabbed from her bag. Upon exiting the bathroom she threw her wet clothes next to where Rodney had put his.

"Penny for your thoughts," Jennifer tried to draw his attention back to reality. One arm slid around his waist. "It's really beautiful here."

"That it is," Rodney did not break his gaze from the water. There was something mesmerizing as the water broke on the beach. "How are you?"

"I think I'm okay," she replied honestly. "You've been nothing short of amazing," Jennifer moved so that they were face to face. She carefully studied his face, paying close attention to his eyes and saw the concern in them. _One kiss is not going to hurt._

The kiss was far from innocent as Jennifer put all the hurt she was feeling into it. Her lips sought to replace the hollowness inside until all she heard was the rush of blood flowing in her ears.

"Have to dry the clothes," Rodney whispered as their lips separated by only centimeters. He started to have flashback to their second date and thought that putting his head in the freezer when he was downstairs would be a smart move.

"Good idea," Jennifer lightly brushed her lips against Rodney's cheek. Her face felt as hot as his face looked red. "I'll turn down the covers."

The flushed man left the room without saying another word. Rodney made sure he took his time putting the clothes in the dryer and stopped to get two bottles of water before he returned upstairs.

"Here you go," Rodney handed over the bottle of water. "Just in case you get thirsty."

"Thanks," Jennifer placed the bottle on the night stand and took a deep breath as she rubbed her eyes.

"What is it?" he asked with genuine concern. She had been okay when he left and now it seemed like things had changed.

"I was just thinking," the physician tried to hide the tears.

Rodney got into the bed and took Jennifer's hand, "About what?"

Jennifer squeezed his hand and sighed, "Does it make me a hypocrite to be mad at my father for doing the same thing I did?"

"What do you mean? What is the same?" his confusion was transparent.

"I mean falling in love with someone. That is all he did. How can I fault him for that? It's an amazing feeling. Why should I deny him his happiness? How could I get mad at him?" Jennifer let the words that were on her mind flow out her mouth.

Rodney smiled slightly, wondering if Jennifer realized what she had just admitted. "It is an amazing feeling. I think it's the way your father went about telling you that has you upset and that, from what you tell me, your aunt is not a very nice person. You think he deserves better and it is not really fair that they threw everything on you at once. I would have reacted the same way if it happened to me. Your father should have at least warned you or told you he was dating someone. You two talk about those things?"

She nodded slightly, "Sometimes. He knew I was seeing someone, but he did know details until he picked me up at the airport. He had all day to mention something to me." Jennifer sighed heavily, "You're right. It's the way my dad went about it."

The sympathetic man rubbed her back, "Why don't we get some sleep? It will do us both a world of good."

Jennifer knew Rodney was right, "It will help clear my head." She kissed his cheek, "Before, I knew what I said and meant it. I do love you."

Rodney nodded and grinned, "I know you did. I love you too. Sweet dreams, my princess." it was the first time in a very long time that he truly meant it when he spoke those words.

Even with her depressed mood, Jennifer felt butterflies at his words, "Then sweet dreams, my prince."

It did not take long for sleep to come to the couple once they found a comfortable position in each other's arms.

Neither stirred until the early morning sun started to fill the room. Jennifer was the first to move with a smile as she felt the strong arms around her. The sight out the balcony door was breathtaking and the feel of Rodney next to her made her feel like she was in heaven.

"Quite the view, isn't it?" Rodney whispered against her ear. He could very easily get used to waking up with this woman.

"It's alright. I'd rather have this view," she turned to face Rodney with a wide grin on her face. "This view is definitely better."

"You have to say that because you love me," he teased.

"It's also the truth. I do love you." The words rolled easily off her tongue.

"I love you." Rodney pulled her in for a steamy kiss, pushing any ideas of morning breath far to the back of his mind.

Jennifer eagerly reciprocated the kiss as her arms looped around his neck, drawing his body as closet as possible. She was not going to give up on the kiss until a shrill yell yanked the couple from their bliss.

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Jeannie had not been pleased when her brother ran out without so much of an explanation the day before. It had been Christmas and he had run out of the house like it had been on fire. "What were you up to?" the woman asked herself as she saw his car in the driveway as she descended the stairs to the living room. She had just poured herself a cup of coffee when she heard a buzz from the dryer. "What did he leave in overnight or whenever he got home?"

Her mood went south when she pulled out woman's clothes along with her brother's. Jeannie was seething that it looked like Rodney had left his family for a booty call on Christmas of all days. "What happened to having a girlfriend he was crazy for? You are such an idiot, Mer." She was ready to call him on his behavior and marched up to his room.

"Meredith Rodney McKay, how could you?" she yelled when she saw the two in a passionate embrace. Jeannie was more upset that her brother was messing up a relationship he had seemed very serious about.


	12. Jumping to Conclusions

**Chapter 12- Jumping to Conclusions**

Rodney and Jennifer pulled away from the kiss and sat up, their faces cherry red with embarrassment. She hid her face behind her partner's shoulder, unable to face the woman who could only be Rodney's sister. _Way to make an introduction._

"How could I, what? Ever hear of knocking?" Rodney was too embarrassed to get angry. "Last time I checked this was my room in my house.

Jeannie shook her head, "At least you're dressed."

"Of course we are dressed. Why wouldn't we be?" Now the anger was starting to show as the man was not pleased that his sister immediately jumped to negative conclusions about him.

"What about what you were talking about yesterday? I thought you had changed," she was really disappointed in her brother. "Do you know he has a girlfriend?" Jeannie addressed the blonde still hiding.

"Okay, I'm going to stop you right there before I get really mad and before you stick your foot further in your mouth. I can go on for quite a bit just about you making these crazy assumptions about me. Way to make a complete ass of yourself. Bravo, Jeannie," Rodney let sarcasm seep into every word.

Jennifer loathed the way Jeannie talked to Rodney and she did not have a high opinion of the woman standing at the door. "Of course I know he does," she put a protective arm around her man. "It is rather presumptuous of you to barge into his bedroom and start ranting when you have no idea of what is going on. Not to mention you are being rude, obnoxious and downright bitchy."

Jeannie thought the two were protesting too much for people being caught at the end of a one night stand, "You're Jennifer?" it was the only conclusion with the angry faces looking at her and the way their bodies instinctively leaned toward each other; a sign they were comfortable with each other and not strangers.

"Well duh. I thought that should have been obvious. Way to have a little faith in me, baby sister," Rodney made sure his last words as condescending as possible. It was only proper payback for the way she barged in.

Jeannie felt horrible for her behavior and could not find the words to express that. "I thought she lives in New York." She could only get defensive instead of running which she felt would have only made the couple angrier.

"She has a name," Jennifer's tempered flared. "My father lives in Yuma and I was spending Christmas with him."

"Which is only a little under a three hour drive from here," Rodney added. "And six hours round trip, which was how long I was gone for. Jennifer needed my help so I went to help."

Jeannie did not know what say as she was getting used to the recent changes in her brother, "I'm sorry."

Rodney was too angry to accept the apology at this moment, "Thank you for thinking so highly of me that you would think I would leave on a holiday without a good reason."

His words only caused her stomach to twist into more knots, "You could have mentioned you were going to get your girlfriend."

He did not like having his actions question especially with the way Jeannie barged into his room, "I was in a rush and you all were on the beach. Really didn't have the time to explain everything. After what I said yesterday why would you think I would have gone an done something incredibly stupid? You know it hurts. It really does. You could have asked what was going on, but you chose to burst in like a bull in a china shop and start insinuating that I picked up a prostitute last night. Even if Jennifer was not my girlfriend would I be so insensitive as to leave my family on Christmas day without a very good reason?" Rodney felt a vein throbbing in his head which was slightly mollified as Jennifer rubbed the back of his neck.

John heard the yelling and wondered what the two were fighting about this time. Any holiday celebration was not complete unless the siblings got into one fight, but this one sounded worse than any he could remember. The first clear words John heard was _picked up a prostitute_ and he winced at the implications and knew he needed to pull his wife away before either said something that could cause irreparable damage.

"What's going on?" John looked between the tense faces of his wife and brother-in-law and then to the angry face of the woman sitting next to Rodney who was rubbing the man's neck.

"My sister has made a complete ass out of herself in front of Jennifer," Rodney put his hand on Jennifer's leg and gave it a small squeeze. "Your so tactful wife bursts into my room and accused my girlfriend of being a prostitute."

"Wait. Hold it a minute. I never called her a prostitute," Jeannie held up her hands in a defensive pose.

"But you did burst in," Jennifer did not sit idly by. She did not have to explain why she was in bed with her boyfriend especially if nothing happened. "The rest was pretty much inferred by your baseless accusations. Even if I was someone random, what right is it of yours to question what two adults do behind closed doors?"

Jeannie bit the inside of her cheek and shifted on her feet nervously, "It's just the way he has been talking about you. I thought Mer was ruining one of the best things to ever happen to him."

"And I haven't ruined a thing," Rodney said with a smug grin. "That prize is all yours. And for the record I've never paid for sex."

"And why would you automatically jump to the conclusion that I was some random woman Rodney picked up? Most importantly, what gives you the right to just burst in here? You could have waited to say something. If I had been a one night I would have been snuck out of the house before breakfast," Jennifer was still livid because of the way Rodney was treated by his sister.

"Let's give the two off them some time," John grabbed Jeannie's arm before any fists were thrown between the women or before Rodney started one of his long winded rants.

"Yes, let's give him time. Time to think about what I did to deserve to be thought of as some oversexed freak who leaves his family to pick up a prostitute on Christmas Day when what I did is the complete opposite. Had Jennifer and I been talking instead of kissing when you burst in here would you have made the same accusations? You do remember what it is to make out with someone, don't you?" Rodney's lips curled in anger. "What's got me so angry is that you automatically thought the worst of me. What the hell did I do to deserve that? Is that how you really see me?" He was very hurt by the insinuations.

"I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry," Jeannie backed away from the room, knowing Rodney needed time to calm down.

Rodney sighed with heavy frustration as he lay back down. He thrust his hands though his hair and let out a small yell to express his anger.

After Jeannie and John made a quiet exit, Jennifer put her hands on Rodney's chest, "Is she always like that?"

"I'm sorry for her. I think sometimes because I didn't follow a normal career path my sister thinks it is all fun and games and that I party all the time. To be honest I haven't as bad as she thinks in a couple years and I have no desire to back to that kind of life especially since I've met you. This really has been the happiest I've been since I can remember. Well, with the exception of Jeannie and her big mouth," Rodney did not want what Jeannie said to make Jennifer think he was sleeping around behind her back because they had yet to take their relationship to that level. "I haven't...," he was silenced by Jennifer pressing a finger to his lips, but he kept talking. "Just because we haven't." This time he was silenced with a kiss. It was more effective than the previous attempt.

"I know, Rodney. Nobody would do what you did for me yesterday if they didn't really care. It's your sister's loss if she doesn't see who you are now because you are pretty amazing and I love you. I don't care what you did before we met. It's what you've done since we've been together that matters and it's been man of my dreams things you have been fulfilling," she said with a genuine smile.

Rodney sat up and shook his head, amazed at the woman sitting next to him. "I'm the one who was supposed to be cheering you up and here you are doing it for me."

Jennifer curled her lips into a mischievous smile as she traced the frame of Rodney's face with her finger, "I hated the way Jeannie talked to you and you made me feel much better yesterday. I'm still upset, but not as much as I was. What he did hurts and it's going to take a while, but I can't begrudge my dad because he found someone to love."

"Is this where you say everyone deserves to be loved?" Rodney laughed and laced their fingers together. It was a corny sentiment, but part of him thought the world could be a better place if everyone knew this kind of joy. The musician knew it was impossible and it was only a pipe dream. Even though it was only about two months since the couple started dating, Rodney knew she was not like anyone he had dated before. Unlike previous romantic encounters she did not whine until he played something. The topic of the piano never came up besides the one time she asked how he was going to get the instrument into his apartment.

"I don't need to tell you how it feels to spend time with the one who has stolen your heart," Jennifer lightly brushed her lips over Rodney's.

"Hmm. Maybe something like this," Rodney mumbled as his lips grazed her's before capturing them in a long passionate kiss.

"Something like that," a deep blush covered her face. After last night, Jennifer never wanted to sleep alone as there was something about the comfort and safety of being in his arms that gave the woman the best night's sleep ever.

"What do you say to that walk on the beach?" Rodney needed to clear his head and it was not going to happen in the house.

"It's a date," Jennifer replied.

* * *

**To be Continued...**

**A/N: Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoyed this latest installment. I was going to make this one big chapter, but the I thought it would better to end this chapter here since it will be easier to transition to what I need to get done. Please leave a review. Thanks to Shadows-of-Realm for the beta.**


	13. The Women Who Love Him

**Chapter 13- The Women Who Love Him**

Jeannie knew she screwed up big time with her brother and blamed her protective streak for her outburst. She had never seen Rodney's face glow the way it did when he spoke Jennifer and she was mentally kicking herself for leaping to the wrong assumptions. The deep scowl on the couples' faces when they came down the stairs twenty minutes later told Jeannie to leave them alone.

"We are going for a walk on the beach," Rodney looked straight through Jeannie and spoke to John.

"Have fun," John smirked at the couple. They looked like a pair of giddy teenagers with the way they held hands and the matching dopey grins. "Make sure he behaves," he pointed to Rodney and made sure they knew he was teasing.

"I will," Jennifer shot her other half a mischievous smirk and squeezed his hand.

"She needs to be reminded to behave," Rodney rolled his eyes and stealthily pinched her backside.

"Real clever," she used her hip to bump Rodney. "Let's go, you," Jennifer tugged him toward the door.

John watched as the duo walked hand in hand toward the door and just before they reached they separated hands and slid an arm around each other's waist. Once the door closed he broke out laughing, "They can put anyone into a diabetic coma."

"I know," Jeannie watched the closed door. "I should have kept my mouth shut. I haven't seen him this pissed at me in a long time."

"Accusing his girlfriend of being a prostitute was not one of your shining moments. No offense dear. When Rodney was telling us about his girlfriend I was expecting someone a bit..." John was cut off by his wife.

"Older? I'm pretty sure Jennifer is younger than me. That's why I never thought that she was the one he has been talking about. He never mentioned the age difference," the woman was angry with herself for not thinking before she launched into her brother.

"Maybe it doesn't matter to them and that's why he never mentioned it," John shrugged as he started to massage the tension from his wife's shoulder.

"Maybe," Jeannie sighed as John's hands worked magic. "I'm just worried about him. After what happened with his ex-two years ago, I want to make sure he does not get hurt like that again."

"Jeannie, he is a grown man who can make his own decisions. Rodney is fully capable of taking care of himself. Besides, didn't he tell you Jennifer didn't even know who he was when they met? So she is not some stalker who takes his hair and nail clippings to worship." John sighed and rubbed out the last of the knots. "Why do you find it hard to believe someone loves him for who he is and doesn't care if he is famous or not? When did you become so jaded?" his arms drew his wife close and kissed the back of her head.

"I'm not jaded," Jeannie was offended by the idea. "I'm just skeptical. But Mer is happy and that's all that should matter, right?"

"And you saw the way they were looking at each other. I've never seen him that happy even when things were good with him and Ophelia before she showed her true colors."

Jeannie visibly shuttered at the mention of the cursed name, "At least it happened before the wedding." She knew things would have been a lot worse had the former couple ever walked down the aisle.

"And he's moved on. I'll go wake the boys and you try to smooth things over with Rodney and Jennifer," John placed a kiss on her cheek. The relationship between siblings was nothing like his and Dave. They barely talked and Jeannie and Rodney were like how he always pictured normal siblings would be. "You two play nice."

Jeannie walked out onto the deck to put together what she was going to say to couple that seemed so in love. Instead of thinking, she found herself watching them as they walked. The scene looked as if it was torn straight from a romance movie. The way their linked arms swung between them. The tilt of their head when the other spoke. The occasional stolen kiss. It was as though the couple thought they were the only ones on the beach. Jeannie watched as Jennifer sprinted away from Rodney, laughing without a care in the word. The entranced woman laughed as her brother took off after his girlfriend and upon catching her he spun them both around. It only took a few seconds before Rodney lost his balance and fell, taking Jennifer with him. Jeannie could hear their laughter and it made her want to feel what they were feeling. It had been a long time since Jeannie laughed like that and she gasped as she had a realization. "Am I jealous of him?" The mother of three was happy with her life, but part of her longed for more. Her brother had the life many dreamed for, but only a few could attain. She married into money and Rodney made his own fortune; a far cry from their meager childhood. He had adoring fans and got to travel the world several times over. He could do whatever he wanted and did not have to answer to anyone, but himself.

She watched the couple for another half hour until they started their way back to the house.

"Unless you want to fly back on your own," Rodney said as he walked up the stairs.

"No. No. It's fine. I'll drive back with you. Could be nice, just me and you driving cross country." When Jennifer said it out loud it sounded like a good idea. Almost a whole week of just the two of them, she knew it would either make or break their relationship.

"Of course it will be," Rodney looked up in time to see his sister looking at them, "What do you want?"

"I want to apologize for earlier. It was wrong of me to barge into your room the way I did. I should have waited for you to introduce Jennifer. You would have introduced her, right?" Jeannie hoped to lighten the tension between them.

"Of course," Rodney rolled his eyes and put a protective hand on the small Jennifer's back. "I'm not that rude. How could I not introduce the woman I love to my family? I'm upset that you immediately thought the worst of me."

"I didn't not know what to think when I found woman's clothes with yours in the drier," the woman started to explain.

"He dropped me into the hot tub with my clothes on," Jennifer said with a fond smile at the freshly made memory.

"And I joined her shortly after. That's why our clothes were in the drier. Were we to go sleep in wet clothes?" There was a hint of sarcasm in Rodney's voice. "I might have made a slight oversight by not telling you I was leaving to get Jennifer," he was not going to take any of the blame for the events of earlier in the morning, even if there was a small amount of blame that should be placed upon him. "You shouldn't be apologizing to me. I'm used to you sticking your foot in your mouth. You need to apologize to Jennifer. She'll get used to you in time," he finished with a good natured smirk.

"Jennifer, I'm really sorry for what I said earlier. I jumped to conclusions that I should not have and I hope you don't hold it against me..." Jeannie was interrupted by her husband sticking his head out the door.

"Hey, Rodney, the boys want to go to Sea World. Can I borrow your car?" John asked.

"Sure, that's no problem. Just fill the tank, it's almost empty. Going out with the boys alone?" Rodney thought the man was crazy for taking three young kids by himself to the park.

"Why not? And I'll fill the tank for you," John disappeared back into the house.

"Do continue," Rodney made a motion with his hand for Jeannie not to stop.

The woman glared at her brother, feeling he was having too much fun with this. "All that is important is that you care for my brother and that you make each other happy."

"And that she loves me for the charming and handsome man that I am and I wooed her by myself and my career has nothing to do with why she loves me." The last part was important to him because he had been burned by it in the past. "Plus, she is beautiful and a genius and I love her," Rodney finished with a genuine smile.

"And I love him," Jennifer squeezed Rodney's hand. "I'm just glad I didn't ignore him when he offered to buy be a drink that night." Now her smile matched her boyfriend's.

Jeannie knew those looks well; the two were clearly deeply in love with each other. She had seen it when her brother had talked about Jennifer and he saw the same look of her face when they were together. "Okay enough of that you two. You are giving me sugar shock just looking at you."

"You are just jealous," Rodney did not take his eyes off his prize. "So many years of marriage..."

"Yeah enough of that," Jeannie scolded her brother. "I'm really happy for you, Mer. I just worry about you," she finished softly.

"I'm a big boy. I can make my own choices in life. I don't need you to worry about me," he looked sternly.

"You're my brother. I'll always worry. Especially after what happened with..." Jeannie jumped back with the intensity of Rodney's reaction.

"Don't," Rodney's mood changed to an almost violent nature. He knew exactly what his sister was going to bring up and it was a house rule to never bring up the name Ophelia around him. "Shut up, now." He quickly entered the house, slamming the door behind him.

Jennifer was left stunned at the hasty exit and sudden mood change. She wondered what triggered the outburst and knew there were things they did not know about each other. It was obvious that her boyfriend needed some time alone and he would reemerge when he was ready.

Jeannie winced as the door slammed, "I'm sorry."

"It's not me you have to apologize to this time," Jennifer said in an even tone. She heard a second door slam and a few seconds later a haunting melody started to emanate from an upstairs window. The mood of the player came out with each note and sent a chill down both women's spines.

"I bought up something I shouldn't have. There are some subjects that are off limits with him," Jeannie felt the need to explain herself. "Mer just needs to blow off some steam."

"I figured as much," Jennifer felt a little uncomfortable at the whole situation. Part of her wanted to go upstairs and see if her love was alright, but she knew that Rodney wanted his space. She was curious as to what got him so wound up and knew it was best to wait until Rodney was ready to talk.

"Is there anything I can get for you?" Jeannie asked. She tried to act as if everything was normal.

"I'm fine," Jennifer entered the house and looked up to where the music was coming from. Rodney's dark mood spoke through his music and it made her frightened for him.

"I'm not a bad person. I just worry about my brother. Some people just want to use him because of his fame and money," Jeannie sighed.

"That's understandable, but I started to fall for Rodney the first night we met and that was before I had any idea who he was. Did he tell you we spent over four hours talking that night? Something clicked right away. His fame and money don't factor into why I love him. I love him for who he is on the inside. He's the person who can make me laugh at the corniest jokes, the one I can talk to hours with about nothing, the one with the smile that makes my heart skip. It scares me sometimes that it has only been a little less than two months, but at the same time it feels right," Jennifer spoke from her heart, leaving no doubt to her true feelings about her lover. "And he hates being called by his first name." The physician could not fault Jeannie for caring about her brother even if it was a little too much at times.

Jeannie watched almost in awe as Jennifer spoke. Not even Ophelia ever spoke about her brother in that way. It was obvious that Jennifer was the real deal. That was all she needed to hear and knew Rodney had placed his heart in the hands of someone who genuinely loved him. "Do you want to hear the embarrassing stories? He's already angry with me as it is." she shrugged, knowing when her brother was ready to be sociable again that he would act as if nothing happened. Such was the way of their relationship.

"All right," Jennifer nodded, thinking it would be fun. She would have heard these stories eventually.

"Where do you want me to start? Being forced to eat lunch at school with his underwear on his head? Naked fans showing up in his dressing room after a show? Or when the CIA confiscated his science fair project?"

"Rodney told me about the bomb. Naked fans?" Jennifer asked with surprise. She knew people sometimes went too far when it came to their favorite celebrities, but she always thought the stories were blown out of proportion.

"Both men and women," Jeannie nodded and both women started laughing and did not stop for an hour later until Jeannie recounted the hard and embarrassing time Rodney had in high school. It was the start of a long friendship even with its rocky start. They had one important thing in common; the both loved the man named Meredith Rodney McKay.

**To be continued...**

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for all those who are still following this story. Please leave a review. Thanks to Shadows-of-Realm for the beta. Next chapter moves back East. **


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 - The Boss Finds Out**

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Marie rolled her eyes for the tenth time in as many minutes and looked at her watch to see how much longer it would be before her savior would rescue the nurse from her annoying boss. The doctor had talked non-stop since the announcement on the radio.

"Are you going to try buying tickets? Three hundred dollars is a bit expensive, but only two hundred fifty tickets will be sold," Janet rolled the cup of coffee between her hands.

"I don't know. I'm not sure. Radek might be working that night and not sure if I will be able to get tickets and six hundred is a lot of money to put out if he gets stuck working like last time," the nurse made a face, knowing she had an easier way of getting tickets; ask Jennifer for a favor. A local radio station announced an hour ago that Rodney would be putting on a small show for two hundred fifty people in three weeks time.

"Is it true that he is staying in New York for a while to work on a new album? I wouldn't mind _accidentally_ bumping into him to see if he is sexier up close. Since I missed the last show I want to try to go see him." Janet was still a little sore that Marie had asked Jennifer to the concert several months ago.

Marie nodded, trying to hide her annoyance, "That's what I heard." She knew from Jennifer that he was closing on an apartment in a few weeks which was a pretty good indicator that he was sticking around for a while. "Also heard that he is seeing someone and from the rumors it's pretty serious," the nurse hoped that would get the doctor off the subject of her celebrity crush/obsession.

"Where did you hear that?" Janet said carefully.

"Oh, um. I think I read it somewhere on a message board," Marie was careful not to give too much away, knowing Jennifer liked to keep her personal life away from boss as much as possible. She assumed things were getting serious between the two with the way her friend had been talking before she left and the fact that the man called her to ask what Jennifer wanted for Christmas.

"That's too bad," the elder doctor frowned. She knew it wasn't like she ever had a chance with him, but it still stung when you found out your crush had found love else where else.

Marie was about to respond when she saw an exhausted Jennifer drag herself into the break room. She saw her friend looked like a zombie as she put her coat and purse into the locker. "Everything okay, Jen?" she asked concerned.

Jennifer nodded and stifled a yawn, "Fine. Just exhausted. We got back late last night. Technically early this morning," the tired woman rested her head against her closed locker door.

"We?" A smirked crossed the nurse's lips. "Does that mean you saw the boyfriend on vacation? I thought you said you didn't think you were going to get a chance to."

Jennifer expelled a slight sigh, "I ended up spending the whole week with him." She knew she would need to explain what happened with her father. The fantastic week she had spent with Rodney had pushed the problems with her father to the back of her mind. "We drove cross-country because Rodney wanted to have his car here."

"How was it?" Marie really did not have to ask as the expression on Jennifer's face said all. "That good? You have to tell me all about it at lunch."

"It was. A whole week, just the two of us. It was nothing short of amazing. We even camped out one night," Jennifer started to blush furiously. She realized during their trip that there was no one else for her, that Rodney was the man she had waited her whole life for, the one she dreamed about as a child.

"Is this the same guy who sent you that beautiful flower arrangement a couple of months ago?" Janet had heard the two women whisper a lot about whoever the guy was. It was obvious her fellow doctor was trying to keep the relationship as quiet as possible, but the younger woman had always been in a better than normal mood every day since the flowers arrived.

Jennifer nodded, "One and the same. He's a pretty amazing guy."

Marie smirked, "Am I ever going to meet your mister perfect?"

"On the twentieth," the blonde nodded and gave her friend a look meaning at the show Rodney had that night. "You can bring Radek too."

The news made the nurse's day, "Really?"

Jennifer nodded, "Yes. It was Rodney's idea to invite you and Radek." His manager had only given him the allowance of three guests, including her, and Marie and her husband were the first and only to come to mind.

Janet looked between the two women, knowing there was something else hidden under their words. "You know that is the same day as the show?"

Marie chewed her lip, "I know. It's something I'm willing to give up if it means meeting the man Jennifer might marry." she teased her friend as well as threw her boss off the trail.

"Let's not jump the gun here," Jennifer blushed and shook her head.

"Oh, my... You two have talked marriage already? You two didn't make a stop in Vegas in your cross country trip, did you?" Marie was super excited for her friend.

"We didn't even pass through Nevada. And the subject of marriage did not come up directly," the young physician rocked back and forth on her feet, not wanting to spill everything right now. "I'll tell you about it at lunch." She discreetly pointed with her eyes at Janet. "Dr. Frasier, how many patients do I have today?" It was best to get off the subject of Rodney's for the moment.

"We have a light day. It wouldn't be fair to over burden you on your first day back," Janet said with a fair smile. The older woman was glad to see one of her employees so happy. "Especially since you just returned from a cross country trip."

"Thank you, Doctor," Jennifer said with a tried smile. "I'm just going to get some coffee before I start my shift." The exhausted woman needed caffeine to get herself awake. She had some paperwork to catch upon before the practice officially opened for the day.

"I thought you were supposed to spend the holiday with your dad in Yuma?" Marie tried to switch the conversation away from the identity of Jennifer's boyfriend.

"I was supposed to but something happened and Rodney drove and picked me up on Christmas Day," she had put the argument with her father on the back burner with the amazing week with Rodney.

"Picked you up? He was in California? How far was that?" Marie asked, knowing not to push the father topic and she would tell what happened when Jennifer was ready. The nurse was glad their boss had left and they could talk a little more freely about Rodney.

"About a three hour drive each way. Pretty amazing, right?" Jennifer smirked. She did not know how she ever got so lucky to find someone like Rodney. He continued to amaze her every passing day.

Janet appeared at the door, pale as a ghost and her lips flapped like a fish gasping for air. She had seen plenty of celebrities on the streets before, but to have the one and only Rodney McKay standing in her practice was almost too much for her to take. The doctor started to panic that something was wrong with him and he needed treatment for some incurable disease. "He's out there," with that said the woman started to hyperventilate.

Marie went to her boss' assistance and led her to a chair, "Take a deep breath, Janet." She wondered what could have gotten the woman so worked up.

"I'll see who's out there," Jennifer sighed; patients usually did not start to arrive for another half hour. She put on a fake smile for the sake of the early patient, but it quickly turned to a genuine smile when she saw who was waiting. "Didn't I leave you sleeping in my bed two hours ago?" the sleeping man had looked too peaceful and cute to wake.

"You did, but you left this," Rodney held up her cell phone in one hand, "and I thought you could use this," a large cup of coffee was brandished in the other.

The already wide smile of the woman grew even larger, "Thank you. You know me so well."

"We did not get in until after two and we didn't turn in right away. Then only getting three hours of sleep, I knew you would need this." He handed over the cup of divine liquid.

Jennifer reached out and played with the zipper of Rodney's jacket, "If I already wasn't in love with you I could so easily fall for you right now."

Rodney laughed as he moved closer and played with the ends of her hair, "You are only saying that because I bought you coffee."

"Maybe. It doesn't hurt that you are cute too!" A quick look around let her know they were the only two in the waiting room and the sly woman seized the opportunity for a quick kiss. "You already had a cup," Jennifer could taste the lingering trace on Rodney's lips.

"Who was that odd woman that came out before, looked like she saw a ghost and ran away?" Rodney had an amused grin on his face. He would never fully get used to odd behavior from fans.

"My boss," she looped her arms around his neck. "Do you have a few minutes to talk her? Make her day. She kind of has a thing for you."

Rodney winced and shook his head, "Sorry. I'm already late for a meeting with my lawyer for the closing. After that I have an interview with a reporter and after that a meeting with the promoter for the show. Something about a photo shoot. Then I have to pack up my stuff from the hotel. Are you sure you are okay with me staying with you until I can move into my own place?"

Jennifer nodded, "Positive. I've already gotten used to having you next to me at night. What time should I expect you home?" Her cheeks flushed at how easy those words rolled off her tongue. The couple had yet to engage in intercourse and she found the nights spent with him only strengthen their bond and it would be very well worth the wait when they finally did. There was a very fond memory of a night they camped under the stars. It was a peaceful and romantic evening with the sounds of natures as their soundtrack.

"About sevenish give or take a half hour. You want me to pick something up for dinner?" He knew he should be leaving for his meeting, but Rodney could not pull himself away.

"How about pizza with vodka sauce from the pizzeria a few blocks from my place? You get the pizza and I'll get the beer. I have a few movies from Netflix that I haven't watched yet. We don't have to get up from the couch all night."

"The perfect evening." In Rodney's mind there could not be a more perfect way to finish what was about to become a crazy day.

"Exactly. Since you will be staying with me I'll have a key made for you. So you can come and go as you want," Jennifer chewed her lip. It was a major step in their relationship to give him a key. It was one thing to say that Rodney would be staying with her for three weeks then to give him a key. The step officially bumped their relationship to upper serious status.

"I'd like that," he felt a small heat flood his body. "I really have to go before my lawyer thinks I skipped on the meeting. I'll see you later. I love you," Rodney placed a chaste kiss on her cheek.

"I love you too and thanks for my phone and the coffee," Jennifer returned the kiss without the chasteness of Rodney's. She watched as the man reluctantly left and took her phone and coffee to the break room.

"I feel like an idiot," Janet waved her hand in front of her red face. "I can't believe I just stood there and did nothing." Her head turned just in time to see Jennifer reenter the room. "Thank you for handling that, Dr. Keller. Forgive me for acting foolish in front of a perspective patient. I hope I did not scare him away with my unprofessional behavior. It's a good thing my mouth froze or I would have asked for an autograph."

"It's fine. You didn't scare him away," Jennifer chewed the inside of her cheek and glanced at Marie for assistance. "He isn't a prospective patient; he stopped by to bring me my cell phone and coffee. I must have left it at home." She knew it would be a matter of time before Janet figured out who her boyfriend was and thought it was easier to tell the truth now.

Everything finally clicked for Janet, Jennifer had mentioned that the guy she had been seeing was named Rodney but she did not think anything of it until the man showed up in the office and Jennifer said he brought her cell phone that had been left in her apartment. "You are dating Rodney McKay?" But the other doctor was not even a fan, how could she be dating him?

Jennifer nodded slowly, "For a couple months now."

Janet looked over at the nurse, feeling a little light headed. The other woman lied to her about how she knew about the relation she claimed to have read about on a message board. "Excuse me, I have to make a few calls from my office." the anger was clear on her face as the head doctor unsteadily left the break room.

**To be continued…**

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**A/N: Sorry this piece took a while to get out. I was having issues how to handle Janet, but that is over and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks to Shadows-of-Realm for the beta and brainstorming on this chapter and all others **


	15. Lazy Saturday

**Chapter 15- A Lazy Saturday**

"Do you really have to have to go to work?" Rodney said with his best puppy dog look. "It's Saturday and I looks like it's really cold out there. Plus, the snow is really starting to come down. This is one of those days where the best thing is to stay in bed hide under the covers and watch the snow fall. The only thing to make it a perfect day is to share it with someone special." He hoped to tempt her with staying home.

"Hmm," Jennifer sighed contently as she snuggled up to Rodney as close as possible. "I have to go. Janet is making me work a second Saturday. There aren't even any patients scheduled today she claims that there is paperwork to be done." He swore the woman had it out for her in the last two weeks since the older woman found out about her and Rodney. Jennifer hoped the woman would eventually get over it because she was not sure how much more of it she could take.

"This is not the kind of weather to be going out in," in reality he knew It was not that bad out. Rodney just did not want to let her go. He wanted to have a lazy Saturday where they stayed in bed and watched as the world spun around them. "Paperwork can wait," he teased with a slow kiss that could easily put any woman under a spell.

Jennifer pouted and rolled her eyes, "You aren't going to make this easy on me, are you?" She knew the day would be nothing short of amazing if she did not move from the bed all day. Her body agreed with Rodney's suggestion and refused to budge while her head screamed that she had to go to work.

Rodney nodded as a playful smirk slowly formed on his lips.

"What are you up to?" She knew that smirk well and it usually meant trouble. "And don't you dare tell me nothing," Jennifer punctuated each word with a slight jab to the chest.

"How about you let me call in sick for you and he can go back to sleep until noon and then we can go find a place to have a snowball fight," he suggested as he rolled onto his back, pulling Jennifer onto him. Rodney was trying to be as irresistible as possible and he was sure that he was doing a good job of it.

The amused woman could only shake her head and quickly got lost in the musician's eyes. The physician never put much credence into the saying '_the eyes are th_e _window to the soul' _until she met Rodney. The way she caught him looking at her sometimes sent shivers down her spine in a good...an amazing way. "Snowball fight? What are we five?" Jennifer's lips quivered into a smile. "I'll have you know I was the snowball champion of Chippewa Falls. You are so going down later, McKay. You are going to regret ever challenging me," the good natured bantering came easy to them.

"I'll have you know I studied advanced physics even in college. You never forget how to make the perfect snowball. One that gives the perfect splatter effect when it hits its victim."

"The shape doesn't matter. It's all about the speed. While you take your time building your so called perfect snowball I will be pummeling you nonstop with snow." Jennifer placed a trail of kisses along his collar bone. Any will to leave the bed was completely gone. She slid half off of him so she could wrap one arm around her tempter for the day.

Rodney's eyes closed as Jennifer's kisses made him lose coherent thought for a moment. "Does what mean my plan worked?"

"Yes, because I really needed a lot of convincing to spend the day with you. Such a hard choice to make," Jennifer said with a dramatic eye roll.

"Well if you would rather go to work I can just stay here under the covers all day and compose a piece and keep myself occupied," Rodney mimicked the eye roll.

The physician made a noise of displeasure, "You are stuck with me all day." Jennifer reached over Rodney to get to get the phone. She quickly dialed her boss' number, hoping that her voicemail would pick up. It would be easier to lie to the voicemail than to the live person. A small sigh of relief escaped her lips when the recording started. "Hi, Dr. Frasier its Jennifer. I know..." her voice faltered slightly when the strap to her tank top was removed from her shoulder and was replaced by the teasing lips of her boyfriend. Jennifer glared at Rodney to stop, but it did not work. "I know I was supposed to come in today, but I'm not feeling too well." Jennifer's voice cracked as Rodney's lips found her neck, slowly teasing the sensitive flesh. "I can work late next week to make up the time. Sorry," she abruptly hung up the phone. "You are really going to get it now," the woman tried the feign anger but could not find it in her to be so.

"Really now? What are you going to do about it?" He proposed the challenge with a smugness that came off more cute than annoying. Rodney enjoyed that he was able to let his inner child out to play and not be admonished for it. With Jennifer she let her's out as well and the two found new ways to amuse each other and laugh every day.

Jennifer shrugged and without warning started tickling Rodney where she knew him to be most ticklish.

Rodney yelled in surprise at the sudden attack. "Not fair...No...Stop...Please...Not there," he managed through gasps for air between laughs.

It was a few minutes before Jennifer relented and eased up on the tickling. "Consider punishment served," she placed a quick kiss on Rodney's cheek and resumed the cuddle position. "Now we can go back to sleep."

"Is this what real love is supposed to feel like?" he pressed his lips to her forehead, lingering for several moments to enjoy the feeling of being so close. There was a flutter in his stomach and his heart raced as it never did before.

"I sure hope so," she traced the outline of Batman on his t-shirt. "If this isn't it then I don't know what is." Jennifer knew plenty of woman who put an emphasis on how much money their men were worth and how shallow and empty those relationships were. Rodney could have had no money to his name and she would still feel the same way about him. She did not care about his fame or fortune and looked right into his heart, which was the missing half of hers.

"Are you still going to love me after this?" His tone was full of mischief.

"After wha..." Jennifer did not get to finish her thought when Rodney started to tickle her with the same fever that she did him.

Rodney went for the spots that he knew that would get the biggest reactions. He alternated between using the stubble on his cheeks and blowing raspberries just above Jennifer's hip.

The ticklish physician squirmed under her boyfriend's teasing touch. She could hardly breathe between the squealing laughter that could easily be confused for screaming. The tickling only ceased when Jennifer was able to get a hold of Rodney's head and pulled him in for a fiery kiss. The passionate embrace lasted until a hard object came in contact with the back of the musician's head, knocking him off of Jennifer and clutching his head in agony. Rodney's vision started to fade as he struggled to retain consciousness.

**To be continued…**

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**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review. Thank you to Shadows-of-Realm for the beta**


	16. Dazed and Confused

**a/n: **Thanks for everyone who is enjoying this story. Thanks for the continuing support and review. Keep them coming. Thanks to Shadows-of-Realm for the brainstorming on this. This chapter is upbetaed because I could not wait to put it up.

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**Chapter 16- Dazed and Confused**

Jennifer screamed as Rodney fell to the side clutching his head and her immediate concern was for him instead of who ever attacked him. Not a smart move, but it was a knee jerk reaction. "Are you okay, Sexy?" she whispered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Ouch! I think so," Rodney writhed in pain. "What was that?" he moved his head onto the woman's lap.

The scared woman finally looked up and saw her father standing at the foot of her bed, holding one of her large medical text books and looking very confused. "What the hell Dad? Why did you attack Rodney?" Jennifer scowled at the man as her hand absentmindedly rubbed Rodney's neck. She had not spoken to the man since Rodney picked her up Christmas night, stubbornness at its best. She figured her father had to use the key she gave him a year ago when he stayed for a week.

Trevor was at a loss for words. He had flown toNew Yorkto try to make things right with his daughter and knew she was too stubborn to make the first move. The elder Keller had every intention of knocking until he heard every father's worst nightmare; his daughter's scream and when he followed the source of the horrid scream the father saw a strange man on top of Jennifer. Trevor did what any good parent would do and did what they needed to do protect their child. Looking at the scene in front of him, Trevor realized he jumped to the wrong conclusion as Jennifer was tending to the man and it sunk in that she called him Rodney. "Rodney? As in the one you told me about? The musician?"

"Yes. Rodney as in my boyfriend," Jennifer showed her clear displeasure at the turn of events and the way her father insinuated being a musician was a bad thing. "What are doing here?" Her scowl grew as Rodney continued to groan in pain.

"I came to talk to you. To try to make things right. I heard you screaming and thought you were being attacked." Trevor visibly shuttered at the thought of what he interrupted now he realized the man was her boyfriend, but it could not have been much since both were fully clothed. The father's head was filled with a lot of horrid thoughts. The most prominent was the struggling musician grubbing off his daughter. Followed by what would have happened had he not interrupted the couple.

"Attacked? He was tickling me. A far cry from being attacked," the woman was too upset at the attack on Rodney to begin to consider to see where her father was coming from. Jennifer turned her attention back to the injured man. "Can you sit up?" she frowned as she could already feel a bump forming.

"Yeah," Rodney slowly sat up, pinching the bridge of his nose. The pain pulsing through his head was worse than any headache in the past. He closed his eyes to see if the room would stop spinning, but it did not help much. "What happened?" the disorientation caused the pianist to miss most of conversation.

"A misunderstanding," her concern was that Rodney's head was swaying as if he was about to lose consciousness. "Are you sure you are okay?" Jennifer tried to get him to focus on her and his eyes to follow her moving finger.

"Other than feeling like a hammer was taken to my head, just peachy," Rodney said in a grumpy tone. "What kind of misunderstanding? Who is he?" he tried to focus on the strange man at the foot of the bed.

"That's my dad," Jennifer said in an even tone. Her anger only further fuelled by Trevor's silence and lack of apology for bursting in and almost knocking Rodney unconscious. "Aren't you going to say something?"

Trevor stared blankly at the couple. He seemed to be messing up at every turn with his daughter lately. First it was how he handled his engagement and now this. "I'm sorry, Jen. I heard you screaming."

"Had you come a couple minutes sooner and you would have heard Rodney screaming. We were trying to enjoy our Saturday. We were just having a little fun in bed. I'm sure you and Linda know all about that." It was a low blow, but she was still plenty angry at her father.

"I came to apologize about Christmas. You ran out so quickly. I didn't have a chance to catch you before you left," Trevor tried to come with a valid excuse why he did not talk to Jennifer that night.

"I was in the room for three hours until Rodney came to pick me up. As I recall you and the hussy left sometime during that," Jennifer shot back.

"And you were on the phone the whole time," Trevor countered. _No doubt with him._

"Where are you going?" the concerned woman asked as Rodney started to get out of bed.

"For a drive. You two need some time and since I have no other place to go a drive sounds good," he unsteadily went to his bag in the closet to get a change of clothes.

"Not with a possible concussion you aren't," Jennifer got stern with Rodney. "I'm going to get you some ice for that bump. Get back into bed," there left no room but to obey her order.

Rodney sighed, "I'm okay. Really." As to contradict himself, he stumbled and had to grab the edge of the footboard to keep from falling.

"That says otherwise," Jennifer grabbed his arm and forced Rodney to sit on the edge of the bed. "You are going to the emergency room. Just to be on the safe side," she did not want to risk that any serious damage was done with the heavy tome. "And you are helping since this is your fault," the daughter informed her father with an icy glare.

"Okay," Trevor said quietly. "I'm sorry." He truly was for making the wrongs calls at every turn with Jennifer lately.

"We'll talk about this later. Can you wait in the living room when we get dressed?" Jennifer was distracted with worry as Rodney became more disoriented.

Five minutes later the trio were standing next to Rodney's car. There was an awkward silence and it made Trevor's guilt worse. He assisted in making sure the other man did not fall down as Rodney was having difficulty walking. "When did you get a car? Thought you said it was not practical having one here." He felt the need to say something to break the silence.

"It's my car," Rodney gritted his teeth through the pain. His face went pale as a strong wave of dizziness almost mad him throw up. It felt better when set sat down in the front passenger seat, but not by much.

"I'm sorry again, Rodney. I'll pay for what ever your insurance doesn't cover," Trevor offered since this was his fault and he knew that he could be arrested for assault if they were feeling spiteful. He hoped the man had insurance, but he could not be sure what kind Rodney could have if he did not have a real job. He still had a lot of questions about what kind of lifestyle Rodney had as a musician and what it meant for Jennifer if she had to financially support herself and the artist.

"Don't worry about it," the pain was evident in Rodney's voice. He thought it was an odd time to bring up the subject, but Rodney could tell the man was nervous. "Don't have insurance anyway," he took several deep breaths to fight back the nausea.

Trevor's jaw dropped at the news because his mind went to that Jennifer was going to foot the bill for the visit.

"What is it Dad?" Jennifer saw the man's face, her annoyance clear.

The elder Keller shook his head, "Now is not the time for this discussion."

Jennifer did not want to argue with her father now. She pressed her lips in concern as Rodney looked like he was going to be sick at any moment. "Do you need me to pull over?" she left one hand on the wheel and used the other to hold Rodney's hand, lacing her fingers easily with his.

"No," Rodney kept his answer brief as the pain was too bad to say much else. He gave Jennifer's hand a small squeeze to reassure her.

Trevor sat back and watched the two in the front seat and the way there hands met and the looks they exchanged at the red light. He could see his daughter was lost to the spell of an older man and for her sake he hoped that Rodney was not faking with the looks he was giving back.

Ten minutes they pulled up in front of the emergency room and Jennifer turn around to her father, "There is a parking garage on the next block. Can you park the car? I'm going to take Rodney inside."

The father nodded, "Sure. I'll meet you inside."

Everyone got out of the car with Rodney needing some assistance to keep his balance and Jennifer was there to lend her arm.

Trevor watched as the two headed toward the doors and went to park the car as per Jennifer's wishes. When he got to the emergency room about five minutes later he saw Jennifer and Rodney sitting in a pair of chairs. He watched them for a moment and just took in how comfortable they were with one another. Jennifer had one hand rubbing Rodney's back as she filled out paperwork with the other. He slowly approached the couple, "Anything I could help with?"

Jennifer shook her head as she handed the clipboard over to Rodney so he could sign where he needed to. "Everything is fine," her voice was cold and distant.

Before Rodney handed the clipboard back he pulled his wallet from his sweatshirt and gave Jennifer one of his credit cards. "Thank you, Sweetheart," he pinched the bridge of his nose to help with the pain. The injured musician watched for a moment as Jennifer left to deal with the paperwork and now that left the awkward silence between him and Trevor.

"Things are getting serious between you and Jennifer. I see you two are already living together?" he asked hesitantly, wanting the answers he would not be able to receive if his daughter was present.

Rodney looked at the man with an are you kidding me look. "Serious, yes. Living together, not yet. Just staying with Jennifer until I close on my apartment in two weeks."

"But you have a place inCalifornia, right?" Trevor wanted to get all the questions he could before Jennifer returned.

"I do. I have my house there and will own an apartment here," Rodney answered simply. He knew the questions were aimed to see if he was worthy of dating his daughter.

"So you do this music thing full time?" Trevor asked as if he was clueless. He really was when it came to Jennifer's boyfriend. All he knew about the man was that he was a musician and he made his daughter very happy. Either the man was very successful in what he did or he had something else going on to own residences on both coasts.

Even with the pounding headache, Rodney knew exactly what the man was trying to ask without really asking. "What you mean to ask is do I have the ability to support myself yet alone Jennifer or do I plan on using Jennifer for her money?" he said with as much sarcasm as his pounding head would allow. "As someone who made about nine million dollars last year. I think I'm quite capable of supporting myself and Jennifer if she chooses not to work." On a year he did not tour Rodney usually pulled in about a quarter of that. It was still enough to lead a very comfortable life. "Though I don't think you have the right to ques..." he stopped himself from saying too much because the man was still Jennifer's father and he did not want to ruin his chances with Jennifer by alienating her father even though Trevor had done a good job of that by himself.

Trevor's jaw dropped as he had not expected that kind of response. The man was clearly angry, but held back from saying what was really on his mind. He was staggered by the amount the man claimed to have made. The shocked man had expected Rodney's income to have been a small fraction of that. His mouth opened to speak but it was cut off by Jennifer's return and he shut up quickly. Another misstep with her.

"First you almost knock him unconscious and now you are questioning Rodney on how much he makes a year?" Jennifer was enraged and seeing red. "I told you before not to worry. Do you not trust my judgment?"

"You are my daughter and I will always worry about you," that sentiment was the most important and the reason for all his actions. "Nine million?" Trevor looked in disbelief. "Are you famous or something?" he asked of Rodney.

"In certain circles," Rodney reached for Jennifer's hand. "I even won an Oscar for Best Original Score three years ago." Now he was just showing off and wanting to prove to the older man that he should not have judged him without knowing anything him. A hint of a smug smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, but was tempered by a wave of nausea.

"You never told me that," Jennifer was glad Rodney was not letting her father walk all over him.

"It's not that big of a deal," the pianist shrugged. He would brag about his accomplishments when the situation called for it. Shattering what ever conception that Trevor had about him was one of those times. "I'm good at what I do. My three-quarters of a million Facebook fans and Twitter followers would agree." Classic McKay ego at its finest. "How long before they take me?" He knew since he was conscious and mostly coherent that he was not a top priority to be seen.

"It shouldn't be too long now," Jennifer was still worried about the man who had possession of her heart. "How are you feeling now?"

"Besides the splitting headache and wooziness, just perfect. I can still do this," Rodney leaned over and placed an innocent kiss on her lips, partially just to annoy Trevor.

Trevor knew Rodney was just trying to press his buttons now and knew he to some extent deserved it, but the kiss no matter how innocent was still crossing a line. "Do you two have any plans on moving in together once Rodney closes on his apartment?" he asked as a way to check that the apartment line was not a ruse.

Rodney glared at Trevor before he cracked a small smile, "What do you say? Want to move in with me?"

**TBC...**


	17. In the ER

A/N: Here be the usual stuff. Thank you for all the adds , follows and reviews. Thank you to Shadows-of-Realm for beta work. Don't hesitate to leave a review.

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**Chapter 17- In the ER**

Jennifer was stunned that the question had been asked. It was something she had thought about as they had spent every night together since Christmas, but she never expected the question to come up in front of her father. The slightly confused woman had to wonder if he was serious or if he did it to annoy her father or if it could be a combination of both mixed in with a head injury. She was not sure how she should answer in front of her father. "Sure," a smile spread across her face. It was as if her mouth did the talking for her heart.

That was not the answer Trevor had been hoping for, knowing this was the first boyfriend his daughter was going to be living with. "How long have you been together?" the father worried that this was too soon even if he bought up the subject.

"About three months," Jennifer answered simply. She wanted to ask how long her father had been sleeping with her aunt, but Rodney was her priority right now. When she helped her boyfriend look for apartments she totally fell in love with the one he picked. The views were breathtaking and she did not admit it at the time, but one of the bedrooms she imagined would make a perfect nursery. At the time, it was a far off fantasy, but while it was still a fantasy now, it was not as far off. They had not taken that step in their relationship but Jennifer knew that if her father had not interrupted that step would have been taken earlier. She was about to say more when a nurse called Rodney. "I'm coming in with you," the worried girlfriend took her boyfriend's hand.

"It's okay. You should stay and talk to your dad. You two really need to talk," Rodney lightly squeezed her hand.

"I want to be there for you. To make sure you get the proper care," she was stern but gentle with the stubborn man.

"I know you are still pissed at him, but you two should really talk. I'm going to be fine. The pain is almost gone," he lied about the pain. It still felt as if someone was taking a hammer to the back of his head.

"The tension in your voice says different. Don't forget I'm a doctor, so I can tell when someone is in pain. You are my top concern right now. I want to make sure that it is only a concussion," Jennifer rolled her eyes at his stubbornness, as Rodney was also unsteady on his feet when he stood up.

"Sounds like you plan on keeping me around for a while," Rodney managed to crack a corny grin.

The not so amused woman put her arm around his waist, "That's the plan." Jennifer sighed. "Which means you have to let me look out for you and you to stop being so stubborn," she poked his arm with her finger.

"Hey," the musician pouted and rubbed his arm. "Aren't you not supposed to injure the injured any more than they already have been injured?"

"Come on. The nurse is getting impatient," Jennifer nodded toward the woman who was tapping her foot since Rodney was taking his sweet time getting to her and not because of his injury but because he was talking.

Rodney grumbled under his breath as was lead to the exam area and shown a bed. The nurse told him in a rough tone to strip to his underwear and put the robe on and leave it opened in the back.

"Do you need help?" Jennifer asked as she could see how unsteady on his feet Rodney was as he tried to kick off his shoes and was close to falling if he did not grab onto the side of the bed at the right moment.

"You are offering to undress me here? I don't think this is the time or place," the cocky McKay grin was firmly in place.

His comment made the doctor roll her eyes, but it still amused her. "It's a good sign you haven't lost your sense of humor along with your sense of coordination." Jennifer offered her arm for support as she watched Rodney struggle to take off his shoes.

"Are you going to help or not?" Rodney pretended to fumble with the button of his jeans. "I can't seem to get it," he looked like an adorable helpless puppy.

"You are too much," Jennifer tugged at his sweatshirt. "If I recall you said this was not the time or the place," she matched his cocky grin from before. "If you sit I'll help you with your shoes and if you behave I'll give you a special treat later." Men could be such children at times; it took just the right bribe to make them obey.

"That's bribery," Rodney pouted, but still sat on the edge of the bed.

"But it worked," she could match his playful smugness anyway. Jennifer bent down and took off Rodney's shoes.

As Jennifer stood, Rodney grabbed her hand. "Thank you," he dropped all the joking he had done.

"For what?"

"Making me forget about the pain for a bit," the injured man grabbed the sheets of the bed as another wave of nausea threatened to make him expel the contents of his stomach.

Jennifer looked at her boyfriend with extreme concern, "It's still that bad?"

"Kind of," the words broke up he forced himself not to vomit.

"I'm sorry, sexy," she caressed his stubble-covered cheek.

"For what? This isn't your fault," Rodney looked at his other half with extreme gratefulness. He tilted his face against Jennifer' hand and the short bristles rubbed against her palm.

"For my Dad. He shouldn't have overreacted like that. I love you," Jennifer got lost in his eyes momentarily, remembering what it felt like to wake up in his arms for the first time. She was drawn back to reality when the emergency room doctor arrived and had to clear his throat several times to get either's attention.

"Mr. McKay?" the male doctor said uncomfortably as he was not sure what was being interrupted.

"That's me," Rodney raised his hand and wave slightly. His face went red as he felt that the doctor had walked in on an intimate moment even though that was not the case. It was one of those moments that were their eyes locked their souls did the same. A moment where they saw their intertwined futures in each other's eyes.

Jennifer shook her head and tried to hide her reddened face. She always had detested the vapid girls who prattled on about how much they loved their boyfriends and how it was true love and how they could not think clearly around them. She was doing the same thing, but she felt that what she had with Rodney was different than those other females. She felt it was a connection that few would ever have a chance to feel. "Sorry. Got a bit distracted. He got hit on the head hard about two hours ago. There was no loss of consciousness, but he is having severe headaches, moderate disorientation and severe nausea. His pupils are equal and reactive to light. You should order a CT scan." Jennifer sounded like the doctor that she was.

"I'm Dr. Carson Beckett. What were you hit with, Mr. McKay?" he began. The man with the Scottish accent got annoyed when a fellow physician would come in and give orders. He already saw several patients that brought their personal physician to the emergency room. The obvious age difference between the patient and his companion lead the doctor to believe the woman was the name's personal physician. "Did you examine the patient before you bought the patient in, Doctor...?"

"It's Keller, but you can call me Jennifer. I did a quick neuro exam after Rodney was hit. The exam was normal," the manner in which the questions were directed at Jennifer made it seem like Dr. Beckett though she was Rodney's doctor and that needed correction. "Rodney is not my patient. He was hit with an unabridged hard covered copy of Gray's Anatomy."

Carson winced, knowing that had to pack quite a wallop. "I'm going to start the exam now," he looked over at his fellow physician signaling that it was time for privacy with his patient no matter what the two were to each other.

"Are you going to be alright?" Jennifer asked with a frown the worry written clearly on her face.

"Besides missing you I think I might make it," Rodney said with a slight smirk.

The worried woman rolled her eyes, "And yet his sense of humor is firmly intact. I love you," Jennifer paused at the door.

"Love you too," the musician blew his girlfriend a kiss.

"I'll let you know when I am done with the exam and you can come back in," Carson informed Jennifer. He felt part of his heart swell at the adorable, but slightly sickeningly sweet display of love.

"Thank you, Dr. Beckett." Jennifer left to find her father.

Trevor had a lot to think on when he was left alone in the waiting room. He had no idea how to begin to fix the problems with his daughter. It had all started with the mishandling of letting Jennifer know about his relationship with her aunt. Then almost knocking her boyfriend out and sending him to the hospital made the situation worse. The father jumped to his feet when he saw Jennifer, "How's Rodney doing? Is he going to be okay?"

"I think so. He will probably have a nasty headache for a few days," the stressed woman rubbed the back of her neck.

"I really am sorry for this Jennifer." Trevor could not stress that point enough. "I'm sorry for everything."

Jennifer held up her hand as to stop him from saying anymore. "Not now. I need some time and I need to make sure Rodney is going to be okay.

"You really care for him a lot, don't you?" It was a hard day for a father when they realize that their daughter has found the man that will take over caring for her.

The anxious woman twisted her hands, "I love him like I've never loved anyone before. So, I can't have this conversation with you now. Come by my apartment tomorrow morning and we can talk then. I have to take care of Rodney today."

Her words stabbed at Trevor's chest, not because of the temporary reaction but because it hit him that his only child was grown up and probably planning a life of her own. "Rodney is _the one_ isn't he?"

"Yes," Jennifer left for no doubt in her voice and walked away to wait at the door for word on Rodney. She was not going to give up on her father. Time was needed for her to get to a point where she did not want to do to her father what he did to Rodney.

**To be continued…**


	18. Home Sweet Home

A/N: Thank you to all those still following this story. Hope you enjoy this next chapter. I'm giving this a stronger than normal T rating as a loopy Rodney makes for some interesting times. Please leave a review. Thank to Shadows-of-Realm for the beta.

**Chapter 18- Home Sweet Home**

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Five hours after Jennifer left her father in the ER, she and Rodney arrived home. On the drive back, she had had received a text message from her father telling her which hotel he was staying in

"Are you hungry? Do you want me to make something for us?" Jennifer asked as she helped Rodney to the couch. He was faring a good deal better than earlier but he was still a little unsteady on his feet and by the expression on his face in a great deal of pain.

'"I'm fine. I think I could use some ice and water," Rodney gently lowered himself to the couch removing his sneakers in the process. The day had taken a wide detour from his plans when he convinced the woman to call in sick to work.

"Are you sure? Anything else?" She wanted to make sure he was well taken care of. "Anything at all?"

Rodney looked sheepishly at her and put on his most irresistible smile, "A shoulder and neck massage."

Jennifer laughed as she shook her head. "Only for today. Next time you have to pay the massage back." There were times where he was too irresistible for his own good, a certain smile and it was like she was under his spell. It was a good thing that it worked both ways. Today was his day to be pampered because of the concussion her father gave him.

Rodney watched as the enticing woman disappeared into the kitchen. He put his feet up on the coffee table and turned on the television.

"Turn that off," she called from the kitchen.

"Why?" The pouting started.

"It will be too much of a strain on your eyes and make your headache worse."

With a sigh, the man with the pounding head turned off the television. He did not want to make his head hurt any more than it already did. Rodney slowly got off the couch and went to double check that the doors were locked and he secured the door with the chain lock so no one, even those who had a key could get into the apartment. Now there was no chance of him getting hit with another book. Rodney turned around and saw the confused look the woman was giving him, "So no one else who has a key can come in unannounced. I don't think my precious brain can with stand another round with Gray's Anatomy. Though if I did I think I'd get extra special treatment from you," he smirked suggestively.

"Get on this couch now, Crazy Man," Jennifer was glad he was joking around, a sign that he was going to be alright. He might just be a little cranky until the headache went away.

Rodney shuffled to couch as if he was a small child who had just been yelled at for misbehaving. "I love you," the injured pianist removed his shirt and sat down.

"Love you more." No truer words had ever been spoken. "Get on your stomach." It was the only way the she could ice his head and give him an effective massage. She only had two hands after all and a good massage required both of them.

He obeyed without a complaint and was treated to a heavenly fifteen minute upper body massage. "You are amazing." Rodney shifted his body so his personal masseuse could also lay on the couch. His head came to rest on Jennifer's chest with one arm draped over her midsection.

"I know I am," Jennifer was amused at his choice of a pillow. "Are you comfortable? You don't have much cushioning down there."

"I'm quite comfortable. They are fine. Just perfect. I shall call you 'Squishy,' and you shall be mine, and you shall be my Squishy." His finger lightly poked the small mound that he did not have his head on.

"You did not just say that," the physician shook her head and bit her lip to keep from laughing. He was always finding new ways for her to laugh and it further endeared him to her. "What am I going to do with you?" Jennifer ran her fingers through Rodney's hair. Had any other guy said and did what he did they would have been kicked, but there was something cute about the way Rodney did it.

"That is up to you. I'm at your mercy the rest of this weekend. Staying like this for the next day and a half sounds like a recipe for the perfect weekend. Well minus the whole headache from hell part," Rodney said a contented sigh.

"Maybe you are right that you are a dork."

Rodney countered with a lopsided grin, "But I'm your dork."

"Yes you are. My very own dork to keep," Jennifer ran her hand down his spine.

"For forever? He tilted his head in order to look at her rich brown eyes. Rodney laced his fingers into Jennifer's and examined her hand, studying it and trying to picture what kind of ring would look perfect on it.

A sudden wave of terror made the woman's heart skip a beat. Then there was the way he was studying her hand. "What are you trying to say?" The uncertainty and panic was palpable.

"Wait...what? No," Rodney said suddenly. "I'm not ready to get engaged again. Not just yet." His voice faltered for a second. He regretted putting the idea out there. In his heart of hearts, he knew the day would come when he was ready to put a ring on Jennifer's finger.

_Again? _"You were engaged before?" Jennifer asked, wondering if this was the woman Jeannie had started to bring up and he threw a fit. As well as the couple knew each there were things they did not know about each other and it would take time to know everything.

"About two years ago. It ended very messily," Rodney picked at the edge of Jennifer's shirt. He did not like talking about the woman who almost destroyed him, but if he planned on eventually marrying this woman who was letting him use her as a pillow, the pianist had to let her in on the painful part of his not too distant past.

"Tell me what happened," she lightly rubbed his back.

"Her name was Ophelia and she almost destroyed my life," Rodney was being a little overdramatic or was he? "She wasn't who she made herself out to be. About two months before the wedding she transferred five million out of my bank account into her's. Then she tried to transfer the money to an off shore account, but it raised some flags and someone asked questions and traced where the money originally came from. Turns out she had a boyfriend living in the Cayman Islands. Some retired Air Force Colonel named Caldwell or something like that. That's what I get for letting Rodney Jr. do all the thinking. Both of them are still in prison and will be for the foreseeable future."

"I'm sorry, Rodney." Now the severe reaction in California made sense. Jennifer wondered if there was a part of Rodney that still cared for his ex. Of course he did, anger meant that one still cares.

Rodney blew a long breath, "I never felt like such an idiot before. I should have picked up on the songs earlier. I was too busy listening to the wrong part of my anatomy to see what was in front of me the whole time. Things between Ophelia and I were purely physical to the point of animalistic."

"Oh," Jennifer felt self-conscious because she and Rodney did not have sex yet and he just implied that it was the opposite with Ophelia. "I don't need to hear the details. You best stop before your mouth gets you in trouble. Is there a point in sharing that last detail?"

The musician winced at the tone she took with him, knowing he should have phrased it better, "There is. It was a physical connection only. It was not like what we have. This...here and now is infinitely more satisfying than anything I've had before I met you. I don't have to pretend with you and that you love me for who I am and not what I am. Not to mention that you are really hot."

Jennifer could not be mad at his reasoning. She felt sorry for him, wondering how many people he had opened himself up to only to be hurt in the end. The sad woman shifted her position so she was no longer being used as a pillow, but so she could be face to face to her partner. Jennifer's hand lightly caressed Rodney cheek before her lips pressed against his. "I fell for you the first night we met before I knew you were a famous pianist. I wouldn't care if you had no money because I love you for who you are on the inside. I know how cliqued that sounds, but it's true. And you are pretty hot yourself," she rewarded Rodney with a not so innocent kiss. "And I look forward to waking up next to you every morning from here on out."

"And in a few weeks we will officially have our own place. You know the only reason this place can't be ours..." his fingers traced the delicate features of her face.

"Don't have the room for your piano here. It will be nice to have a place that is new for the both of us," Jennifer traced non-existent patterns on his chest.

"Our first hoooommmmmeeeee," Rodney could not hold back the yawn any longer. "It's okay if I take a nap, right?"

"It's fine. I'll wake you in a few hours to make sure you are still okay. Don't get grumpy with me when I wake you up." She tenderly kissed his forehead.

Rodney laughed slightly, "You know me so well." It took only a few minutes for him to fall into a sound slumber.

The sound of Rodney's heartbeat and soft snoring put Jennifer to sleep in no time.

A few hours later, instead of Jennifer doing the waking up Rodney used the Prince Charming method to wake the sleeping woman.

"Hmm," Jennifer started to stir.

"Wake up sleepy head," he tried again to fully rouse the woman who now had her head buried in his chest. "You forgot to wake me up." Rodney started to play with the ends of Jennifer's hair.

"Too comfortable to move," she mumbled from her position. "How are you feeling? Any confusion? Headache? Muscle weakness?"

"Aww now you decide to play doctor," Rodney playfully teased. "Confusion; no. Headache still there. Now it's more of a smack your head against the wail pain instead of a jackhammer. No weakness, but there is some completely unrelated stiffness."

Jennifer raised an amused eyebrow, "If you want to heal quickie and properly you should not participate in contact sports for a while." She did not realize her Freudian slip until it was too late.

"Quickie?" He snickered like a teenager. "Don't we know where someone's dirty mind is?"

"Funny," she looked slightly offended by the remark. "In all fairness Rodney Jr. started it all."

"Want to take a shower with me? I didn't get to shower this morning and can really use one," Rodney changed the subject, but in a way he did not change it.

Jennifer shook her head, "I really don't think that is a smart idea. You need to take it easy."

"I'll behave. You said I should take it easy and having help getting washed is a perfect way to do that."

"You are incorrigible," she sighed. The man was definitely too adorable for his own good at times. It was frightening how easily he could charm her. "The moment you misbehave, you are on your own."

"I'm a perfect angel. I wouldn't imagine doing anything that was out of line," Rodney found it impossible to keep a straight face.

Jennifer got off the couch and offered a hand to assist the injured man, "Try that with a straight face, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."

The couple made their way to the bathroom for their supposedly innocent shower which wasn't all innocent, but Jennifer let go as far as some heavy kissing. She did not want to risk anything happening to her precious Rodney. His kisses were like a drug; one drew you in and soon she sought out more.

After stepping out of the tub, Rodney held up his hands and dropped his towel, "I know. Off to bed with me to take it easy for the rest of the night."

"Aren't you going to be cold with nothing on?" He was trying her patience and resolve. _He is such a tease._

"Not once I get under the covers and you join me," Rodney quickly made himself at home in bed. The throbbing in his head pushed aside for now.

"What are you planning?" Jennifer felt that he was up to something and she needed to get to the bottom of it before she joined him in bed.

"Just a quiet evening in bed with you. Most things including watching TV is off limits. So there isn't much left to do. Cuddling, dinner and a movie would be the perfect evening, but we can do without the movie."

"Fine. I'll allow the movie. The moment your headache gets worse, it goes off," she said with a stern and caring warning.

Thus, the first official _Naked Movie and Dinner Night_ was born. Hours later after their bellies were full and both worn out from watching one sappy romantic movie followed by a gory horror movie, the cute couple retired for the night. The horrible start to the day was forgotten by the blissful end.


	19. Piece of Their Minds

**A/N: Thank you to all those who are still enjoying this story and letting me know by the kind reviews. Thank you to Crye4Me and Shadows-of-Realm for their help with this chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter 19- Piece of Their Minds**

Rodney woke up the next morning with his headache down to a dull roar. It was a wonderful feeling to watch Jennifer sleep and he was going to let her do that for a little while longer while he made breakfast. The musician quickly threw on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, the apartment was cold when not under the covers. He had the brilliant idea to make breakfast for his girlfriend as thanks for taking care of him the day before.

The blueberry muffins had just been put into the oven and a large pot of coffee set to brew when there was a knock at the door. Rodney went to answer before the knocking woke the sleeping woman. "Can I help you?" he opened the door the few inches the chain would allow. The musician recognized the woman as the odd lady who ran when she saw him the other week; Jennifer's boss who had made life difficult for her since finding out that he was Jennifer's boyfriend.

Janet jumped when the face peeked through the door. She had held onto a small hope that it was a cruel joke her employee was playing on her, but when Rodney was the one to answer the door with tousled hair and looking like he had just woke up it sunk in that it was real. "Is Jennifer here? She called in sick yesterday and I was wondering if she was alright." Her voice shook slightly as she tried to contain her nervousness that she was talking to **THE RODNEY MCKAY.**

Rodney scowled, feeling the woman had an ulterior motive for the visit. "She's sleeping right now, but Jennifer is feeling better than she did yesterday. You know rest is the best thing when you aren't feeling well." The lies came easy, but his voice was clipped as he had a loathing for the woman due to her treatment of Jennifer.

The female physician sensed the man's annoyance and bit her lower lip. "Can you let Jennifer know I stopped by to see how she was feeling?"

"Oh, yes it will be the first thing I do when she wakes up. I'll let her know you stopped by to see if she was really sick...I mean to see if she was okay." He was not going to let Janet get away with acting like a spoiled child. "I know how you've been treating Jennifer since I came into the office and it's got to stop. I've dealt with my share of crazed fans and it's wrong to take whatever is going inside your crazy little head out on one of your employees. Shouldn't you be more concerned with the wellbeing of your employees? Isn't a happy worker a good worker and if you keep this up you are going to lose your best doctor. I don't need fans like you who take their anger out the person I choose to be in a relationship with. It's not like you ever even had a chance with me. I don't even know you, but after what I heard you put Jennifer through I don't even want to know you. Nor will I ever like you. Enough with the petty jealously and go out and meet someone. Maybe it will be good for you. Have a pleasant day," Rodney all but slammed the door in Janet's face.

Janet sulked away from the apartment as if her hero had just insulted her. In a way that is exactly what happened. What made it worse was that there was a hint of truth in his words; she had been taking her anger out on Jennifer. The older physician never expected to be called out on her behavior, much less it be Rodney to be the one to do it. It felt worse that it came from him and the final knife in the gut was when the pianist said he did not need fans like her. Perhaps it was time that she and Jennifer parted ways in a professional capacity.

"Who was at the door?" Jennifer asked as she tied her robe closed. She had heard Rodney' raised voice but not what he was saying or who he was reading the riot act to.

"Umm," Rodney looked like he had been caught doing something wrong. "That was that weird lady from your office."

"You mean my boss?" She worried what he had said. "What did you say to her?" Jennifer knew things would get worse at work if he pushed Janet too far.

"I called her out on the way she had been treating you," he shrugged. "She had it coming. You weren't going to say anything to her so some needed to."

"You didn't?" Jennifer looked horrified and angry. "I was handling the situation." The woman clenched her fists. "How could you say that to her?"

"By saying yes to everything she asked you to do, but it really was not her asking as much as it was her ordering. You've complained to me every night about how Janet has been treating you. There is no way she came here just to check on you. She wanted to see if you were really sick." Rodney then went on to give an almost word for word playback of what he said.

"No you didn't," Jennifer clenched her fists. "How could you say that to her?"

"Ummm," he pretended to think on the matter. "Because she deserved it. Someone needed to say something. That woman is a bully who is just jealous that she can't have me." Rodney knew it was conceited to think like that, but everything Janet had done so far proved him right.

"Come on. That is not true. You are just being full of yourself," the stubborn woman refused to see what was in front of her. "Just like you were with my dad yesterday."

"Excuse me?" Rodney exclaimed. "So defending myself is being full of myself?"

"You didn't have to tell my dad how much money you made last year and you definitely did not need to tell my boss in not so many words to get a life." Jennifer was yelling loudly at this point and her anger shone like a lighthouse on a foggy night.

"You are kidding me, right?" McKay could not see why she was so mad. "Why are you getting mad at me? With your father I had to let him see that I wasn't some struggling musician that was using you for money. I've seen it before. He needed to see that I was not some slacker with zero ambition. As for your boss, were you going to let her get away with the passive aggressive behavior and making you miserable at work? Or have you forgotten that you've complained to me almost every night you came home?"

"That is not the point. You were out of line with her. Do you have any idea how much worse you made things for me?" Jennifer was seething at this point.

"If things are so bad why don't you just quit?" He suggested as if it were no big deal.

"I can't just quit my job. It doesn't work like that."

"Why not?" Rodney shrugged. "Why not open your own practice or something else you want to do."

"You don't get it. You can't just go telling people off for no reason," Jennifer did not back down from the fight.

"For no reason? Are you sure you weren't the one hit on the head yesterday? You know what? I'm going to go out for a while and you just think about this whole Janet situation," the confused man went to put his sneakers and jacket on and grabbed his set of keys before leaving the apartment. Rodney purposely left his cell phone in the apartment as he too needed time to calm down. It bewildered him as to why Jennifer wanted to suffer at Janet's hands.

Jennifer screamed as the door slammed behind Rodney. She could not understand why he could not see the wrong in telling off her boss. Janet had been the first person to give her a real job and sometimes she had an almost blind allegiance to her. The woman could do no wrong even with the truth staring her in the face and part of her was afraid to move on even with the knowledge that Rodney would be there to support her.

The anger made the blonde woman's hands shake and she retreated to the bedroom to get dressed. Their first fight was inevitable, but that did not mean she was prepared for it. Jennifer had just returned to the couch when her cell phone rang. She had hoped it was Rodney calling, but Jennifer's face fell into a long frown when she saw his phone next to hers. "Hey Dad," she saw his name on the caller id before answering the phone.

* * *

Trevor heard something off in his only child's voice and the parental instinct took hold, "Everything okay, Jen? I thought I'd come over so we could talk."

"Everything is fine. You can come over. I don't have anything planned for today," Jennifer's nose perked up at the smell of something baking in the oven. She wondered what Rodney had put in the oven before he left.

"I'll be there in a half an hour. Do you or Rodney want me to bring over breakfast? I really want to make it up to him for hitting him yesterday."

"He knows you are sorry. Rodney went out for the day," she covered for her boyfriend, not that she wanted to tell her dad the reason for the disagreement. "You don't have to bring anything, Rodney made blueberry crumb muffins," Jennifer looked in the oven to see what was baking. _Didn't know he could bake._

"Okay then. I'll see you in a bit. I love you, Jennerbell." Trevor prayed that things would go smoothly this time.

"Love you too, Dad." The only thing left was to wait for her father to arrive.

The hellos went smoothly when the elder Keller arrived and several minutes later the father and daughter were sitting on the couch eating the muffins and drinking coffee. The conversation to this point had been tense and mostly dealt with the food and drink they were consuming.

"These are really good. You've got yourself quite the talented man," Trevor was quite impressed and relieved that Rodney was nothing like his first thoughts.

Jennifer felt the knife twist in her gut. Sometimes she felt that Rodney was too good to be true and men like him were a myth. "A man of many talents. I'm sorry Rodney threw his accomplishments in your face yesterday."

Trevor shook his head, "It's okay. He was right in a way. Rodney knew I was questioning if he was able to support himself, let alone you. The way he said it was a bit rough, but he was injured. I had no idea he was famous. I shouldn't have put this label on him until I get to know him. Do you two really plan on moving in together or was that for show?"

Jennifer shook her head, "We are going to live together when he closes on the apartment in ten days. Rodney has been staying here since we got back from California."

"Why aren't you just staying here? Why does he need to buy his own place?" it was the one thing that did not make sense to Trevor unless the man had some control issues.

"This place isn't big enough. Rodney needs room for his piano and there is no room for one here and I think the acoustics are not right here or so he says. Before we met Rodney had planned on staying so he could compose his next album."

The reasoning satisfied Trevor's worries. After he returned to his hotel the day before, the father did some research on his daughter's boyfriend and learned all there was to know about Rodney and his career. "Makes sense," he was trying to avoid the real reason he was here. Trevor knew his daughter disliked her aunt and that the two would never get along. "Jen, I am really sorry how I handled everything with Linda. It was not the way to tell you about us."

Jennifer pulled her hair back and sighed heavily. She too wanted to avoid this conversation, but it was one that needed to be had. "I don't think there was a right way to tell me. Does she treat you well?" If being with Rodney the last couple of months taught her anything, it was that love finds you when you least expect it and from unexpected people.

"She does, Jennifer. She really does. I know you two have your problems, but Linda is really good for me. I'm happy Jen. I really am. For the first time in many years it doesn't hurt to get up in the morning." Trevor poured his heart out to his daughter. She knew how much her mother's death hurt them and he would never taint the precious years they shared. Sometimes an unbreakable bond forms out of shared grief.

Her father's words made Jennifer feel guilty for her childish display on Christmas. "I know you do. I was just hurt that you didn't tell me anything. I know better than ever that finding love is an amazing feeling. Before Rodney I don't think I really understood the effect a love like that could have on a person." Jennifer knew that if she wanted to have a meaningful relationship with her father she would have to be civil to her aunt.

"When can we expect your Mister Perfect back? Shouldn't he be taking it ease with his concussion?" Trevor inquired as he fell back into an easy relationship with his only child.

Jennifer looked away from her father, not wanting to admit to the fight they had earlier. Deep down she knew Rodney was kind of right. "I'm not sure. We kind of got into a fight earlier and he left to cool down."

"Am I going to have to hurt him? What did he do?" Trevor flipped into protective father mode.

"Told off my boss," the hurt woman saw the confused look on her father's face and gave a brief synopsis of what happened and what had been happening with Janet.

"So Rodney was sticking up for you? Good for him. By the sounds of it she had it coming. Why did you let her get away with all that nonsense? Did she really think she had a chance with him?" Trevor was liking this man more and more.

"I think she might have gotten the hint when he said that he would never like her because of the way she was treating me," Jennifer now felt silly for getting angry with Rodney. He had seen what she should have all along and did something about it out of love. "It's just that Janet gave me my first job and sometimes I feel like I owe her and I am not used to someone doing things like Rodney did and not expecting anything in return."

Trevor wrapped his arms around Jennifer, wanting to make her self-imposed hurt go away. "Do you want me to wait until he gets back?"

Jennifer nodded and the duo went onto enjoy a somewhat somber day which started to creep into night with no sign of Rodney's return. Finally, both got annoyed at the occasional ping coming from the absent man's phone and Jennifer went to retrieve it. She was a bit worried that something happened to him and that no one knew to contact her. She looked puzzled at the push notification that read: _Flight 2132 landed CLD 21:45. _Did Rodney go somewhere and left her to worry? "Dad do you know which airport code is CLD?"

The father shook his head, not having a clue and pulled out his phone to do some research and had an answer a minute later, "Carlsbad."

"New Mexico?" There was no logical reason why Rodney would make a sudden trip to there.

"No. California," Trevor showed Jennifer his phone that showed a map of the area with some of the surrounding cities.

Jennifer's heart skipped a beat when she saw the map. "Encinitas. What an idiot." She did not know what Rodney was thinking flying cross country with a concussion and why he would retreat home over one silly fight.

"Jen?" The confusion was apparent on Trevor's face. He only assumed it had something to do with Rodney.

"Encinitas is where Rodney's house is and according to that map, right next to Carlsbad. And he is an idiot for flying with a concussion and I don't have the phone number for his house. Why would he head there after a silly fight?" Jennifer rambled as she voiced her fears and concerns.

"Maybe something came up and he didn't have time to call?"

"He left his cell phone here."

"Or he is not thinking clearly because of the concussion."

"Which is why flying was a dumb idea on his part." Jennifer was scared that he was not going to come back. She thought their relationship was strong enough to survive one fight.

"My flight home is in two days, if he is not back by then I can drive over there and talk some sense into him." Trevor was hoping that Rodney's departure was temporary and that his opinion of him would remain positive.

"Thanks, Daddy." Jennifer's emotions were mixed with anger and worry. Angry that he crawled home with his tail between his legs and worried that flying would complicate his recovery.

* * *

Sunday soon gave way to Monday and for the young physician it was the worst Monday on record. She was in a foul mood because she had not heard from Rodney and Janet was making things even more miserable, questioning every decision and talking to her as if she were the scum of the earth. Tuesday was ten times worse and there was still no word from Rodney. Jennifer knew if something serious was wrong that Jeannie would have called.

By the time Wednesday came, Jennifer was at wits end and finally unleashed her bottled fury at her boss. When emotions regarding the opposite sex got involved even the most levelheaded and gentle people can become unrecognizable monsters. Janet had let an unobtainable fantasy takeover and went from a kind person to a spiteful, unrecognizable creature. Marie tried to intervene in the verbal battle and screamed after Jennifer yelled the words "I quit" at the top of her lungs. It was a move that surprised everyone especially Jennifer

Adrenaline coursed through Jennifer as she quickly packed up her locker and left the office shaking. The tears did not start falling until she sat in the cab she hailed. That is when the now unemployed woman decided to get the phone number of Rodney's house and give him a piece of her mind for skipping out as he did and not calling once.

Those plans changed when Jennifer opened the door and the scent of fresh orchids engulfed her. Four dozen of her favorites were spread about the living room, but there was no sign of the one who had pulled off the incredibly sweet feat. The anger was subsiding when she plucked one of the delicate white flowers from its vase. The scent had a calming effect and that's when Rodney made his first appearance in several days.

"Hey," he said in a hushed tone, leaning against the frame of the bedroom door.

"Hey," Jennifer echoed Rodney's voice and found herself standing in front of him. "Have fun at the beach?" she said after a few moments of awkward silence.

Rodney shook his head, "Not at all." It had been a miserable couple of days and his head pounded every second he was there. The pain seemed to vanish the moment he landed in New York.

"You idiot," she punched his shoulder hard. "Don't ever make me worry like that again. You shouldn't fly with a concussion. I thought you weren't coming back. Why did you leave like that?" Jennifer wanted to be angry, but she could not muster it with Rodney in front of her.

The pianist shrugged, "I wasn't really thinking. I was driving and found myself near the airport and next thing I knew I was on the plane. I'm sorry for worrying you." He was not going to apologize for what he said to Janet. "I'm not going anywhere now," Rodney started to play with the ends of Jennifer's hair, trying to get one her good side. "I love you."

"I love you too," Jennifer looped her arms around the man's waist and pulled him close. Her head came to a rest on his firm chest; the sound of Rodney's heart lulled the upset woman into a state of relaxation.

"What's wrong?" Rodney placed a tender kiss atop her head. He knew from her body language that it was more than just their fight. "You miss me that much?" He hoped that humor would lighten the mood a little.

"Funny," she replied in a dry humorless tone. "You were right the other day. I didn't want to think Janet was like that. She had been great until now. I thought I owed her something for taking a chance on me all those years ago. I never thought she would get so vindictive over something so stupid. Not that you are stupid, but why do you have to be so damn charming and have woman throwing themselves at you?

"It comes with the territory. In the beginning...many years ago it was fun, but it loses the charm after a while. Those were cheap meaningless flings. People thrive on the high of being with someone famous. They think I enjoy the party scene every night. My manager makes me go on occasion but you know that's not me. I want as much as a normal life as I can and fly under the radar as much as that can be impossible at times. I'd rather spend a night with you over anything else."

"See...so damn charming and smooth. You know just what to say when I need it the most. How do you do that?" Jennifer whispered as she tucked her head into the crook of the angelic man's arm. "The flowers were a great touch by the way."

Rodney sighed and rubbed her back, knowing something was really bothering his other half, "I'm not saying those things because that is what I think you want to hear. I say them because it's the truth. What happened with that vile woman?" That made the only sense of what was really bothering her.

Jennifer sighed dramatically, but with good reason. "She was horrible all week. More so than ever and I had enough and quit today. I wasn't going to take her pettiness anymore."

"I'm sorry, Babe," Rodney was truly sincere with his words. He knew the older woman was a mentor to Jennifer and it had to hurt for their relationship to sour...especially over him.

"It's okay. You had something with the idea about doing some volunteer work. It's something I always wanted to do but never had the time," Jennifer lifted her head and smiled for the first time in days. "What are your plans for tonight?"

"I was thinking an encore to Naked Dinner and Movie Night, but with dessert this time," he said with a wily smirk.

"Dessert?" she raised an interested eyebrow, wondering what was on his mind for desert.

"Chocolate pudding cake with fresh strawberries on top. There is fresh whipped cream too." The smirk turned suggestive. Rodney was almost as god at baking as he was at playing the piano.

"So those divine muffins were not a fluke? What other talents are you hiding?" Rodney never ceased to amaze her and he seemed to grow more appealing by the minute.

Rodney shook his head and laughed, "The baking talent is kind of a practical one. Being someone who loves deserts I learned the hard way a few times that not everyone is honest if they put citrus extract or rind in their baking. The only way to make sure there wasn't any was to make it myself. I'll let you in on a little secret...I've been told I'm an expert when it comes to using my hands."

Jennifer rolled her eyes and laughed. "Yes you are and that is no secret to me." She finally gave him a proper kiss hello. "Let's get ready for our date tonight," the now happy woman tugged her devilish other half to the bedroom to prepare for their date.

**To be continued...**


	20. Music of the Heart

**A/N: Thank you to all who are still enjoying this little journey into fluff land. Hope you will enjoy this chapter as much as the rest. I'm giving this chapter a high T rating because of suggestive adult theme. Please don't hesitate to leave a review. Thanks to Shadows-of-Realm for the beta.**

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**Chapter 20- Music of the Heart**

Jennifer's first week since quitting her job passed by at a rapid pace, enjoying the time she got to spend with Rodney. Then once they closed on Rodney's apartment, she became busy with cleaning the large apartment. While the physician cleaned Rodney all but disappeared, claiming he had to practice for his show in a little over a week. The few times she asked if she could join him, he refused and had a different excuse every time. Then three days before the show Rodney's piano was moved into the apartment and that is when started to stay at his place. He called every day, but stayed at his apartment at night. The confused woman attributed the odd behavior off as some kind of pre-show jitters.

The morning of the concert Jennifer received a box of a dozen chocolate covered strawberries with a certificate for a day of pampering at a spa and a note that read: 'Pick you up at 6PM'. "What are you up to my cryptic lover?" She drew the card up to her lips, glad that she would get her Rodney back tonight.

The day at the spa was just what Jennifer needed and she was almost walking on air by the time Rodney picked her up, looking very sharp in a dark suit. Her eyes checked him out very appreciative of the suit before her, "Do I know you? You look like someone I know, but he's been missing for a few days."

"Funny," Rodney pulled his girlfriend in for a kiss and would not let her go. "Did you enjoy your day at the spa?"

"Very much. Thank you for that," Jennifer grinned. "Does this mean I get my handsome boyfriend back tonight or is he going to continue to be a man of mystery?"

"My reason for being scarce recently will be revealed soon. Your understanding and patience will be greatly rewarded. Plus, we can spend our first night together in our new home," he knew just the right words to temper any anger she might have had toward him because in the long run it would be well worth it.

"Still being mysterious. Do you do this often when you have upcoming shows?" She wanted to know if this was going to be a common occurrence.

Rodney shook his head, "No. This is a one-time thing. Can you stop asking so many questions? We've got to get to the venue. The concert starts in an hour."

"Did I mention how handsome and irresistible you look in that suit?" Jennifer tried a different approach to get Rodney to spill.

"Flattery is not going to get you anywhere this time my dear," the mischievous man teased, continuing the play the teasing game.

"Fine," the disappointed woman pouted as they left the apartment. Now she would just have to wait to see what he was planning.

The ride to the concert venue was silent, as pouting did not require any noise. Jennifer hated surprises and she just wanted to know what Rodney had been doing while he was gone.

"As sexy as you are while pouting, my resolve is stronger. I'm not going to cave in. Let's go," Rodney helped her out of the car. "Did I tell you today how much I love you?" the playful musician teased with a slow lingering kiss, which was interrupted by a high pitched squeal. "Now it's time to get inside before they descend." He spoke of the rabid fans that would flock and try to get a piece of him the first chance they got.

This was the first time Jennifer realized just how famous Rodney was. Whenever they had gone out before they had never been bothered by fans; outside of the occasional long stare made in passing. To hear several grown woman scream like a fan girls was a bit disconcerting and made Jennifer hold his arm a little tighter. To her Rodney was an incredible man who came into her life and completely swept her off her feet and the one she was planning her forever with.

As soon as they entered the backstage area, Rodney was whisked away by a woman Jennifer assumed was his manager. The man had complained about the woman who he likened to a walking corpse on many occasions, but he knew he could not be bothered with the messy business end of the music industry. "See you later, then?" she called out as the decrepit woman vanished into a nearby office and Rodney did not have a chance to reply.

When she passed the office Jennifer heard Rodney's angry voice yell, "I'm doing it. I don't care what you think." Jennifer was going to have to ask him what that was about when they were alone later.

Jennifer quickly found her seat in the front row and saw that Radek and Marie were already sitting. She had not seen her friend since walking out of the office, "I'm glad you two were able to make it."

"Are you kidding? We wouldn't miss this for anything especially since I missed out on the concert last time," Radek was ecstatic to be here. "I'm sorry about what happened at work. Marie told me. If there is anything we can do for you."

The unemployed doctor was grateful for her friends, "Thank you. I might need help moving in a week or two. I have to decide what I want to take to the new place."

"New place? Are you moving in with him?" Marie did not expect that move, but it looked like Jennifer was being well taken care of.

Jennifer nodded as the grin grew on her face, "Yes. He's lived at my place since we got back a few weeks ago and with his new apartment it was a perfect opportunity. It's triple the size of mine."

"Can you three keep it down? The concert is about to start," a red head from the second row admonished the group.

"Excuse me? It doesn't start for five minutes," Jennifer was a little too harsh on the woman, but there was no reason to be quiet if the show had yet to start. She was trying to catch up with two friends and she did not appreciate the intrusion.

"I think Radek and I will have to bow out of dinner tonight. I have a super early morning tomorrow. Janet has been a nightmare...well more of a nightmare since you left. It didn't help that she knew I was coming here tonight."

"I'm sorry about that. At least stay a little to say hello. Rodney has wanted to meet you for some time," Jennifer was disappointed at the change of plans, but she was not that upset because it would be the first night she and Rodney would be spending in their new place together and that idea made Jennifer very excited. The lack of furniture worried her little, but it would be an adventure and Rodney had already spent three nights at the place.

"I think that can work," Marie agreed to reschedule because getting up at 4AM and having a late night was not a good combination. "How does coffee sound?" A couple of months ago the nurse wanted to meet Rodney because she was a fan of his music and now she wanted it because she wanted to meet the man that made her best friend happier than she had ever seen.

"We can do coffee," Jen sighed as she felt the woman behind her burning holes into the back of her head. She was ready to leave everything alone until the annoyed woman started her own conversation. From what Jennifer overheard she found out the woman was president of the North American chapter of the Rodney McKay fan club. "And you yelled at me for talking? Hypocritical, much?" Normally she would have not said anything but with the way the same woman yelled at her a couple minutes earlier, the red head was talking much louder than she had been.

Neither woman had time to respond as the lights dimmed, signaling the start of the show. The crowd was treated to almost two hours of music. The group fed off of Rodney's energy and he theirs. He entertained between pieces with jokes and anecdotes of growing up in Canada and life in California.

"I have one more piece to play for the night," the statement drew a few boos from the crowd who did not want the show to end. "This is a brand new piece that I've never played before. Some of you might have heard that I will be staying around in New York while I compose my new album." This time the statement drew a loud cheer from the crowd. "The night of my first concert here months ago I happened to stop in a bar on my way back to my hotel and there I met someone who changed my life for the infinitely better," Rodney subtly looked toward Jennifer in the darkened room. "I said something to her on our second date and this is what it became."

At the time Rodney made that statement, she thought it was just a line he was using to impress her but to actually have something come of it made Jennifer fall in love all over again. The way the melody and the chords melded together it was as if Rodney was speaking to only her. Her eyes squeezed shut as the music washed over her as the tempo and his fingers danced elaborately over the keys Jennifer felt as if his fingers were playing over her skin, building up to an almost orgasmic finish. When the piece finished the room erupted into thunderous applause and Jennifer gasped as she let out the breath she had been holding. Never in her life had someone ever done something like this for her. The piece was simply the most beautiful work the now teary eyed woman had ever heard. Every single emotion Rodney put into his work resonated with every note played and it took everything in Jennifer not to rush the stage and take him into her arms.

It took a solid three minutes for the applause to die down and the audience to hear anything else. Rodney bowed and thanked everyone for coming before he disappeared off stage.

"Is he for real?" Marie asked in awe. Rodney set the bar super high for amazing gifts. "What did he say to you that night?" She quickly turned to her husband. "Did you take notes? Now that is what a nice surprise is. Not an anti-cellulite cream."

"I don't know how to play any instruments, much less compose music," Radek grumbled, annoyed that men like Rodney made most gifts to their significant other pale in comparison. "Use this," he offered a handkerchief for Jennifer to dry her eye.

"Thank you. He had this really intense face when he was looking at me and I asked what he was doing and Rodney said he was thinking how beautiful I was and how it translated into music. I thought it was some cheesy pick up line." Jennifer smiled wistfully as she remembered the date.

"And now months later you are living with him. Are you sure you want go for coffee or would you rather take your boyfriend _home?_" Marie gave a friend a knowing grin.

"We can handle coffee. Behave, Marie. Besides this will be our first night together at our place. It's just one more thing to celebrate tonight."

"I'm sure you two will celebrate," Marie winked at Jennifer and ignored the eye roll from her husband.

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Three hours later the very in love couple returned home, completely drenched and shivering. The tale behind it was something out of a romance novel: The double date for coffee went well with Rodney making a very good impression on Marie and Radek. The couples parted ways with promises to have dinner soon. Rodney then drove back to their apartment and parked the car in the garage, but instead of heading upstairs to retire, the pianist pulled Jennifer toward nearby Bryant Park to watch the ice skaters try their best to look graceful. After ten amusing, laugh filled minutes the sky opened and rain poured down on the mild January night. As everyone else ran for cover, Rodney pulled Jennifer close and started to dance to the music meant for the skaters as the rain soaked through their clothes. As the song finished the couple kissed the kiss to end all kisses. The kiss warmed the shivering duo and made both weak in their knees. The kiss made time stand still and the rain ceased.

Now they were in dry clothes, sitting in front of a fire with steaming mugs of homemade hot chocolate spiked with rum.

Rodney pulled the warm comforter tighter around them, "Sorry about the lack of furniture." He whispered against the back of Jennifer's hair, which was still slightly damp.

Jennifer closed her eyes and leaned back against his chest, "This is more comfortable than any couch." She could not feel more content than being in the arms of the man she loved in front of a roaring fire. The endorphins were still coursing through her body from their time in the rain, between the breath robbing kiss as the rain pour down around them and then there was the way he whispered _I love you_ against her ear. The last was her favorite. It was not the first time Rodney had said those words to her, but the way he said it made their moment in the rain a memory she would always cherish. There was really something romantic about it and the relaxed woman sighed happily as she reached for her mug of hot chocolate. "What time does the furniture get here tomorrow?"

"Between eleven and two," he smiled and brushed the hair from Jennifer's shoulder so he could press his lips against her neck. Rodney let his warm breath tickle the woman's ear. "Warmed up yet?"

The woman nodded. Between the comforter, the fire and having Rodney's arms around her it was a perfect moment. "I thought moments like this only happened in books and movies," Jennifer let the waves of bliss washed over her. "This is like a dream that I don't want to wake up from," the content woman's breath slightly hitched as she felt his hand stroke her stomach with a feathery touch. His hands were soft and skillful even with the slightest of touches.

"You just hadn't met the right person until me," the Canadian native was very sure of himself at this moment. That idea had not come from his ego, but from his heart which Rodney was sure that she could feel racing at this moment.

"You have an excellent point my sexy one," Jennifer pulled herself from Rodney's embrace temporarily so she could turn around and face him as she sat in his lap.

Rodney hooked his arms around Jennifer's small waist and drew her closer to him. He enjoyed this position better and gave him the perfect height to nibble on her neck. The musician teased the physician's earlobe with his tongue and teeth until she whimpered and her fingers dug into his arm. "Do you want me to stop?"

Intense desire filled Jennifer's eyes and she shook her head, "No." She pulled his head towards her's and captured his mouth. The moment felt right to consummate their relationship. They both still rode the high of the romantic evening that started with the song Rodney composed for her and that was followed by the walk and dance in the rain. It was the perfect way to spend their first night together in their place.

"On the floor?" Rodney asked with a hint of uncertainty as his fingers played up and down her arms.

"In front of a fire with a large fluffy comforter and with the man I want to spend the rest of my life with," Jennifer looked into his eyes and the way he looked at her made her shiver with anticipation. She was nervous and excited as her blonde's heart pounded loudly in her chest, knowing that the man before her was going to be her last and forever.

"The last part is most important," he teased her lips with his finger. There were times Rodney could not begin to describe what he felt for the beauty in front of him. He was glad they regained their senses just in time on their second date because he was sure their relationship would never have developed into wonderful thing it was now.

"It is," her eyes closed as the feelings seemed more intense with them closed.

An hour later the couple lay together with their limbs tangled with one another. The last hour had been intense and Jennifer was sure she had died and gone to heaven. She looked at the man she loved through heavy lids, knowing there did not to be words to describe how both felt at this moment.

Rodney lazily ran his finger down Jennifer's back as their eyes locked, "I love you." his lips lightly brushed over her's. The slight tang of sweat lingered on both of their lips. The night was far from over. "I'm glad we waited. Made it so much sweeter," he knew their relationship would never have developed into the once in a life time find it was if they had succumbed to their passions on their second date.

"I know," Jennifer shivered as his touch sent electric shocks down her back. She felt as their hearts raced in sync with one another. The satiated woman pressed her's lips against his shoulder. "I love you," her lips moved to Rodney's neck. "I don't want this evening to end," Jennifer whispered as she tucked her head under his chin.

"It doesn't have to," he whispered into her hair. "We can move this to the bedroom. We do have a mattress in the bedroom. A mattress but nothing else."

"So that's what you have been sleeping on," Jennifer was too comfortable to move. It was as if nothing could go wrong when Rodney's arms were around her. "I'm not sure I can make it to the bedroom," her lips were drawn to his like a moth to the flame. Every sense was heightened. The taste of the spiked hot chocolate lingered on their lips as they met for a long kiss that robbed them of breath. Their skin was burning with passion and the slightest touch felt like it could bring on another climax.

"I will carry you then. Carry you over the threshold to our bedroom." The words easily rolled off Rodney's tongue. This was to be the perfect end to perfect evening. The couple finally started to fall asleep as they watched the sun rise, their bodies tangled with the other, not sure where one ended and the other began. The birth of a new day served as the final chapter for the beginning of the rest of their lives.

**To be continued…**


	21. Valentine's Day

**A/N: Thank you to the usual suspects for their help. Thanks for all the adds and reviews. Enjoy the latest chapter.**

**Chapter 21- Happy Valentine's Day**

It did not take long for the couple to start to make their apartment feel like a home. For the time being, Jennifer was enjoying not having to work as it gave her time to spend alone with Rodney and they made the most of their time, christening various rooms and surfaces of their home. There were some days that they did not even bother to get dressed. Several days ago, the activities came to an abrupt halt when Rodney's back slammed into a door knob, putting an end to all intimate activities for the foreseeable future.

It was the day before Valentine's Day and just past noon when Jennifer nudged a sleeping Rodney awake. "Hey, Sleepy Head," she kissed his bare shoulder blade. "Do you know what tomorrow is?"

"Hmm. Monday the fourteenth?" Rodney said as he yawned. He peeked one eye open and saw Jennifer's unamused face. "My sister's birthday. She'll be thirty-six."

"It's really Jeannie's birthday?"

"And I used to give her half eaten boxes of chocolate all the time when we were growing up. Gave her all the stuff I couldn't eat. The lemon crèmes and all that icky citrusy stuff," Rodney rolled onto his back and turned to look at the beauty next to him.

Jennifer shook her head, "That's not very nice."

"Chubby kid who liked sweets," the man pointed to himself. "And sometimes I was a brat that needed to teach a bigger brat a lesson."

"You are incorrigible, you know that?" the amused woman leaned over and gave her boyfriend a lingering kiss. It was too easy to fall into this lazy lifestyle.

"Oh, you mean tomorrow being Valentine's Day? You know I almost forgot," Rodney pretended that he had no idea what tomorrow was. "What to do?" he pulled Jennifer on top of him and started to kiss her neck.

"Hmm. You've got to stop that. It's a nice day. We should actually leave the apartment for once," she reluctantly propped herself on his chest. "I was thinking we could stay in and have a nice quiet evening a home. I make dinner. You make dessert."

The pianist started to laugh, "You say we need to get out, but you are making plans for us to stay in tomorrow? Kind of funny when you think about it."

"That is today and tomorrow is tomorrow," Jennifer smirked and teased her lover as she got out of bed. "I'm going to take a shower and if want to join me...not in the shower." She quickly corrected where she knew his dirty but brilliant mind was heading. "I mean to go out. If you want to go out, can you make some coffee?"

The lazy man yawned and stretched, "I'll make some coffee, but I think I'm going to stay in. I've got a few things I want to work on." Rodney pointed to his book of mostly blank sheet music on the table next to the bed. His eyes carefully studied the captivating retreating form. Once the bathroom door closed, Rodney rolled out of bed and made his way down the short flight of stairs to the kitchen, taking his music book with him.

After Jennifer got out of the shower she found Rodney sitting on the balcony with his coffee and music book. He looked rather cold sitting outside on the crisp winter day with only a t-shirt and sweatpants and she grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch before heading out to join him. "Thought you could use this," she draped the blanket over Rodney's shoulders. The curious woman tried to sneak a look at what Rodney was working on, but the man pulled the book to his chest quickly. It was not as if she knew how to read music but the word at the top of the page grabbed her attention. "Are you really naming this piece Orgasm?"

"It's a title in progress. I'm trying to evoke that feeling from when an orgasm builds up to its release and the wave of euphoria that follows." Rodney was pleased and the flirty grin on his face showed that. He tilted his head back to see if his other half shared his enthusiasm.

"Interesting." Jennifer's brown orbs narrowed slightly. "Does that mean I've been used for research the last few weeks?" She was not sure if she should be offended or not, but he knew how to pleasure a woman and no other man had been able to bring her to the heights of ecstasy that he had.

Rodney smiled, "Not research. Inspiration."

"Nice recovery, McKay. Don't you think it's laying it on a little thick claiming that I inspired two pieces for you in such a short period of time?" Jennifer leaned down to give Rodney a kiss. Even after everything there were a few times she still was not sure the man was for real.

"Maybe, just a little. It also is the truth," the playful man started to laugh and started to sing Chicago's _You're the Inspiration_, making it quite clear why he never took up singing and should stick to tickling the ivories.

"Corny dork," she flashed an amused smirk. Life had become far from dull since Rodney became a big part of her life. "Do you need anything while I'm out?"

"No, I'm good. See you in a little bit." Rodney quickly turned his attention back to his music.

Jennifer spent several hours shopping and getting things to make Valentine's Day special. When she got home the woman had a difficult time pulling Rodney from working on the piece he had started. "You better not be like this tomorrow," she tried to lure the pianist away with an alluring kiss, but it did not work. "Try not to come to bed too late."

By the time Rodney came to bed, Jennifer was sound asleep and did not stir when he crawled into bed.

The following morning Jennifer was gently roused from her sleep by something fuzzy tickling her nose. She mumbled incoherently and swatted the disturbance away.

"Wakey! Wakey!" Rodney whispered as he continued to tickle Jen's nose with a stuffed dog.

"You finally came to bed?" Jennifer was too content to open her eyes, but she soon felt the morning sun on her face. "Hmm, so it's morning. Why didn't you wake me?"

"Because I'm doing it now and last time I woke you in the middle of the night you punched me in the stomach. Now I wake you bearing gifts and food." He placed the small dog on her chest. "Happy Valentine's Day, Jennifer," Rodney traced the delicate features of the woman's angelic face.

"Happy Valentine's Day to you too," Jennifer sat up and pulled the blue-eyed angel for a quick pre-breakfast make out session. "What is on the menu for breakfast? Are you on it?"

Rodney shook his head, "Not me. There are Belgium Waffles with strawberry, blueberries and whipped cream."

"Are you trying to make me fat with all this good food?" Jennifer looked behind him to see where the food was. "Good you bought coffee too."

"Of course I did. No breakfast is complete unless it has coffee. Aren't you missing something?" Rodney picked up the stuffed animal, knowing she had missed what the dog was wearing.

Jennifer was confused until she got a second look at the dog and saw the necklace it was wearing. "Oh," she gasped. "It's beautiful. It matches the bracelet you got me for Christmas. Thank you." It was time for another kiss, one which she reluctantly pulled away from when her stomach rumbled in hunger.

"Here you go," Rodney stood up and retrieved the tray of food that had enough for the both of them.

Jennifer began to dig into the food with a smile. "Do you want to do anything today besides dinner?" She would not mind spending the day alone indoors with the love of her life.

"I have a few ideas," he saw the questioning look on Jennifer's face. "And I'm not going to tell you." Rodney popped a whipped cream covered strawberry into his mouth.

"Why must you be so mean?" Jennifer pouted.

"Because it is fun." There was a mischievous glint in Rodney eyes as he took a generous amount of whipped cream on his finger and drew a line from Jennifer's forehead to the tip of her nose.

"Oh, this is war." Jennifer retaliated by smearing whipped cream on both his cheeks, followed by tantalizingly teasing Rodney with a strawberry. She traced Rodney's lips with the sweet fruit and just as he was about to take it into his mouth, Jennifer pulled it away and claimed it as her own.

The meal melted into an all-out food fight that ended with Jennifer running down the stairs with Rodney in close pursuit. Sheiks of laughter pierced the air, letting the people nearby know how much fun was being had in the penthouse apartment.

"What are you going to do now?" Jennifer placed both hands on the island in the kitchen. She had to plot her next move carefully or be captured. The human chess pieces were in check and the wrong move would be checkmate.

"Looks like we have a standoff," Rodney chewed the inside of his cheek, trying to hide that he was rummaging through a drawer.

"A truce?"

"I don't know what that means. What is this truce thing you speak of?" Rodney feigned ignorance, but not well. His hands moved too quickly for Jennifer to see what he was doing.

"Real cute!" Jennifer was half-amused and half confused as she lifted their now linked hands bound by a pair of red fuzzy handcuffs. "Do I even want to ask?"

"They were a gift from a fan. I thought we could put them to good use and I was right." Mischief and all other sorts of fun trouble flashed in his eyes.

Jennifer had grown to know that look well and knew Rodney was up to something. "You call this good use?" The woman began to turn the tables. The hunter was now the hunted as she slowly traversed the island, eyes looked like she was ready to pounce any moment.

Before Rodney had a chance to move he was pinned between Jennifer and the island. His heart quickened with excitement. "I would say so. Don't you agree?"

"I don't know," Jennifer traced heart patterns over Rodney's chest with her free hand. "What are your plans for me? Tell me and I'll let you go." She teased his Rodney's lips with her tongue, pulling back just as he started to respond.

Rodney swallowed the lump in his throat, it painfully making its way down. "What if I don't tell you?"

A wry smirk crossed the woman's face as she pulled her hair back. "I'll make the day very hard and painful for you." Jennifer gave a preview of exactly what he would be in store for if he stayed silent. She only stopped when Rodney whimpered and groaned.

At first Rodney thought it was going to be worth it to not let Jen in on his plan, but when it became obvious that her intention was just to tease and bring him to the brink and then stop he knew he had lost. "Evil woman," he protested even though the musician loved every second of it. "My plans were for a horse and carriage ride through Central Park and the Romance Under the Stars at the Hayden Planetarium."

"Only you can go from raging horny to sappy romantic in the blink of an eye." It was one of many quirky personality traits that made him irresistible, his quirky personality that is. "What's the thing at the planetarium about?"

"You are the one who's got me pinned here. It's a little reception with an open bar and hors d'oeuvres then a star show with music by your truly." Rodney said with a smug smirk.

"You're kidding me, right?" Jennifer sounded quite annoyed that he made plans to perform tonight without consulting her.

"You don't like the idea? We don't have to go if you don't want to," he frowned. Rodney was flexible and if she wanted to do something else. "What do you want to do?"

She sighed heavily and yanked hard to get out of the handcuffs, but failed. "Would that put the kibosh on the show if you weren't there?"

"Oh..." Rodney now understood where the anger was coming from. "It's not live music. All pre-recorded. The director at the planetarium gave me two tickets for letting them use several of my original pieces. I forgot about it until he sent me an email last week. We can do something else if you think it's stupid."

Jennifer shook her head, "It's okay. How can I say no to snuggling up with you under the stars? Fake or not. I thought you booked a performance and neglected to tell me."

"I wouldn't do that. We can have our dinner and dessert after the show. That is if you can keep your hands off of me." Rodney teased as he undid the handcuffs.

"I think I can manage," a bony finger pulled at the cotton fabric of his t-shirt. "Give me an hour to get ready and we'll meet back here. You can use the shower down here to get ready." Jennifer gave Rodney a playful kiss.

"That's not fair," his face fell into a deep pout.

"Yes, we need separate showers or we will never get out of here. Plus I told you that you none of that until your back fully heals." Jennifer reminded giving Rodney a parting kiss before heading upstairs.

An hour later the couple was dressed and ready to start their day.

"You know my back doesn't hurt anymore and the bruise is almost gone." Rodney lifted up the back of his shirt to show where the once deep purple bruise was now a pale yellowish green.

"Really?" Jennifer lightly pressed on the bruise and watched him wince. "See. Nothing until that is healed. I feel bad enough that I did that, so I'm not going to risk any more harm to you. If you behave I'll give you a special massage and besides I'm not in the mood." She gave him a pointed look. She didn't want to come right out and say that she was on her period but if she needed to she would spell it out further. His back injury was a convenient excuse for the mean time. There were some lines that were just not to be crossed no matter how close you were with someone. Not yet anyway. It would be a different story when and if they decided to start a family.

"Special massage?" Rodney's ears perked up, his interest piqued at what exactly she meant.

"Yup. Just behave and you'll find out." Jennifer slipped her hand in to his. "Let's go."

And so their little adventure began. All the years Jennifer lived in Manhattan she never took a carriage ride, thinking it was something tourists did for fun or something a man did to impress a woman, but there was something magical about it as she and Rodney snuggled together for some warmth. The blissful woman felt like she was the luckiest woman in the universe as her head rested against his chest, his heartbeat lulling her into an extreme state of contentment.

The day only got better when the couple got to the planetarium with the cocktail hour. After a few flutes of champagne and not much food, the couple was feeling a little tipsy especially when the director of the planetarium stopped by for a short conversation that left Jennifer giggling.

"What is up with that guy? Did he seriously tell us he was voted sexiest astrophysicist ten years ago?" The slightly inebriated woman covered her mouth to hide the giggling. "What is an astrophysicist anyway?"

"Something like a glorified astronomer dealing with the physics of the universe," Rodney leaned forward as he watched the director greet some other guests. "He is an odd duck that one. Though I've heard that true for most scientists."

"What's his name again?"

"Neil of the Grass Chicken Man something or other. I really don't remember." Rodney pulled Jennifer close and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "Are you enjoying yourself so far?"

Jennifer nodded, "How can I not? I'm with the sexiest man here and he is being incredibly sweet and charming. I can just stare into his eyes all day. They are so easy to get lost in." Her body started to lean in closer as if she was magnetically being drawn toward her other half. Of course, this was with some help of the champagne.

"Let's get our seats," Rodney also felt the pull and it took all his willpower not to pull Jennifer in for a not safe for public kiss. There was something about the woman that made him feel and act like a hormonal teenager. None of his previous relationships ever made him feel this way. It was a feeling he liked and did not want to disappear anytime soon.

On the way in to take their seats Jennifer and Rodney were stopped by an elderly couple. Rodney looked a little suspicious, not wanting to be recognized as sometimes it was the sweet looking little old ladies that were the raunchiest and tried to grab at certain body parts as if their age gave them carte blanche to do as they pleased.

"I just wanted to stop you two and say how adorable you look together," the woman patted Rodney on the arm. "It's nice when two young people find real love. These days you don't find many couples that look at each other the way you two look at each other."

"Thank you," Jennifer flushed at the compliment. "Rodney is one if a kind. Definitely not going to let him get away from me." The words were sappy and her tone was very sincere.

"We'll be married sixty years in a few months," the gentleman spoke up. "It seems like only yesterday that I put the ring on my dear's finger."

"Congratulations," Rodney looked in awe at the other couple. It was hard to imagine being with one person for that long. He was going to try to be with Jennifer that long, but he'd have to make it to a hundred years old in order to make it happen. "What's your secret?"

"There are five rules for a long happy marriage, "Never go to bed angry. Make sure there is lots of laughter. Listen to each other. Don't give up on each other when things get tough. Respect each other and last but not least have sex at least once a week." The seemingly mousy woman had a wild glint in her eye that bought a very nasty mental image to Rodney's head.

_Wrinkles upon more wrinkles. Saggy boobs down to her knees. Can he still get it up at his age? Wrinkles, wrinkles, winkles everywhere. _Rodney quickly blinked to get the idea out of his head. "That is good advice thank you," he paused for a moment, thinking that was six rules, not five like she said. _Wrinkles and more wrinkles followed by wrinkles_ _deluxe_.

"Is this your first Valentine's Day together? This is an excellent choice for a date." The elder man said with a nod and a sly grin.

"It's our first. It's been an amazing day so far," Jennifer could not erase the radiant glow from her face. She did not need showy stuff to make this a great day.

"Just make sure you keep that smile on her face," the woman patted Rodney arms. "And it can be you harassing another young couple when you are our age."

"I will do my best," Rodney said with a wry smile. "Enjoy your evening," he nodded a goodbye to the other couple and headed to take their seats. Once out of sight Rodney let out a violent shudder.

"What? I thought they were cute," Jennifer shook an admonishing finger at Rodney.

"The thought of all the wrinkles and saggy body parts. Eww. Just eww."

"Behave," she smacked his shoulder. "That can be us in fifty or so years."

"Oh, that will so be us," Rodney now did not care who saw him and gave Jennifer a kiss that made their toes curl.

**To be continued**

**End a/n: Yes, Neil deGraasse Tyson is really the director of the Hayden Planetarium. It was too amusing not to use when I made their plans there. He was also voted sexiest astrophysicist in 2000 by People Magazine.**


	22. The Surprise

**A/N: ** Here is the latest installment of this AU tale. I want to thank all those who have been following this story since the beginning and those who have recently picked this up. Thank you to Dani Wilder who gave me the idea for this chapter, to Crye4Me for her awesome brainstorming skills and to Shadows-of-Realm for his beta skills.

* * *

**Chapter 22- The Surprise **

The cold winter quickly melted into spring and as new life begun to bloom forth Rodney and Jennifer's love grew. They were all but inseparable when at home. Jennifer started volunteer work at clinic, which gave Rodney time to work on his music while she was out during the day. Now summer was fast approaching as did the young woman's dread. She would soon hit the big 3-0 and she was not taking it too well. There was much she had yet to accomplish in her life and if Rodney were not in her life it would be much worse because with him she knew some of those goals would be reached. It was only a question of when.

On the morning of her birthday, Jennifer woke up to the other side of the bed empty. She dashed downstairs expecting Rodney to be in the kitchen making breakfast, but the apartment was empty and no sign of a note. "Where did you go?" she pondered as she began to make a pot of coffee. It was odd for him to go out without leaving a note or message. She thought he might have made a quick run to the store and expected to be back before she got up. When an hour passed and he did not return, curiosity got the better of her and she tried his cell phone which went to voice mail after one ring, making it obvious he purposely ignored the call. "What's he up to?"

* * *

Rodney pulled the car up to the front of the hotel and turned to his passengers, "Are you okay with getting to the apartment early?"

"It's fine. And Jen has no idea we are coming?" Trevor asked. The age difference between his daughter and boyfriend would never sit quite well with him, but there was no denying how happy Jennifer was with Rodney. In the end that is all Trevor could ask for; that his little girl was happy and well taken care of. Something the musician was capable of providing in spades. Moreover, he was a genuinely nice person, unlike some of Jennifer's previous boyfriends.

"Not the slightest clue. She thinks we are going to the place we had our first date, but has no idea that we will never make it there."

"What time do you want us to get there?" Linda still was a bit nervous about the whole party and how her niece would react to it and her. They had come far from the debacle that happened at Christmas the and they were mostly civil with each other. The older woman figured that if Jen wanted to continue to be close with her father that the two had to try to get along. The vain side of the woman was jealous that Jennifer had managed to land a rich, devilishly handsome, famous man who owned homes on both coasts. She had always yearned for a house on the ocean and Linda fantasied about some glorious mansion on the beach, which a far cry from the one Rodney was owned. It was a nice big house, but a far cry from the mansion she envisioned.

"I think six should be good. Jen thinks the reservations are at eight. I told everyone to get to the apartment by seven thirty at the latest. I'm trying to get her out of the apartment by five thirty, but that isn't an easy job." Rodney tapped his hands nervously on the steering wheel. He had asked Trevor an important question a half hour ago, but the older man evaded the question and quickly changed the subject. His answer could make or break the evening, at least in Rodney's opinion.

"Thank you for everything, Rodney. For throwing this party for Jen, for flying us out. My daughter has been the happiest she has been in a long time because of you. To answer the question you asked me earlier; you have my permission and blessing." Trevor knew this would make the day very memorable for his daughter.

"No, thank you!" A wide bright smile crept across Rodney's face. It was going to be a perfect evening now. "Here is an extra key to the apartment. I gave the caterer your cell phone number. They should be there at seven. If there are any problems you can text me." He thought a phone call would raise too much suspicion with the birthday girl, but a text he can easily deal with.

"See you later," Trevor took the spare apartment key. He could not wait to see the surprised look on Jennifer's face when she walked in the door.

* * *

Rodney saw the missed call from Jennifer as he pulled away and knew he would have to come up with a good excuse for his disappearance. To make up for not returning the call he made a stop at the restaurant on the corner and picked up breakfast. Some of her favorites; corned beef hash with hot sauce and an egg over easy and banana oat pancakes.

Jennifer started to get worried until she heard the key in the lock. "Where have you been?" She did not notice the food in his hands and immediately went to interrogation mode. "I thought something happened to you." Now the concern surfaced.

Luckily, during the ride back, Rodney had come up with a good excuse. "I had an interview with International Piano. I told you about it the other day." He hoped that she would buy the excuse. It was not a far-fetched fib as it got closer to the album release the interviews would be more frequent.

"You did?" Clearly, she did not remember. It was plausible that Rodney had mentioned it and it easily slipped Jennifer's mind. It was not something to question any further and make a stink over.

"Yes. I even bought the birthday girl breakfast," he raised the bag to show he came bearing gifts...or food in this case.

Jennifer made a face, "Ugh. Please don't remind me." There was something about turning thirty that frightened her and almost wished that this day could be forgotten.

"Thirty isn't that bad. Heck, forty isn't even that bad. It's fifty you have to worry about and you have another twenty years to worry about that. I on the other hand have only eight." Rodney moved in for a kiss. It was not as if he wasn't talking from experience, he had passed the milestone birthdays with little worry. "Besides you have me and how bad could things be with me around?"

"Someone is a bit full of themselves, aren't they?" She pulled Rodney in the rest of the way for the kiss he sought out. "What did you bring me to eat?" Jennifer tried to figure what was in the containers.

"Sit at the counter and I'll serve you," Rodney moved before impatient woman could grab the bag.

"Yes, sir," she saluted him, thinking the day was getting off to a good start with being pampered. Jennifer wondered if Rodney had anything other than dinner planned, but she couldn't get anything out of him.

* * *

The rest of the day was just like any other day the couple chose to spend at home, curled up on the couch watching television. The only exception was the occasional birthday call and text from friends and family.

Later on when they were getting ready to go out, Jennifer stood in front of the mirror choosing what dress to wear. "What do you think?" She turned to ask Rodney's help between the four she had out on the bed.

"You know I'm kind of digging the whole bra, panties and high heel thing you have going on right now," Rodney came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her neck. As much as he would have loved to take it further, they needed to be out of the apartment in the next half hour. "The blue one," he took a quick nibble on Jennifer's ear.

"Bad man," Jennifer moaned as she tilted her neck. If they had to leave, why was he teasing her like this? "What is so special about this lounge we are going to first? Our reservations aren't until eight and I'd rather have you as my appetizer. It's my birthday; shouldn't I choose what we do?" She hoped that pouting would change his mind. "Pretty please," the coy woman played with the buttons of his shirt.

"I promised I'd show my face there for a little while. It gets us free drinks." Another little lie he hope would be forgiven by the end of the night. "All I have to do is show up with this handsome face and have the most beautiful woman by my side."

"Okay you don't have to butter me up that much. You had me at free drinks." She quickly pecked his freshly shaven cheek.

"Zipper me," Jennifer asked as her back was fully exposed. There was no reason to do a weird wiggle dance to zip it herself since she wasn't alone.

Rodney obliged the simple request, taking a deep breath before he did. He ran his fingers up and down the delicate curve of Jennifer's back several times before finally zippering up the dress. He needed to get control over himself, knowing there was plenty of time to celebrate after the party.

"You are such a tease," Jennifer rolled her eyes. He was severely tempting her and she had half a mind to push Rodney to bed and cancel any other plans for the evening.

"I know," Rodney replied with a flirty grin before leaving the room, putting some much needed space between them.

* * *

"Oh no," Rodney clutched his stomach as he and Jennifer exited the lounge. The couple had enjoyed themselves with the two hours of drinking and some very close dancing during their pre-dinner celebration. Now it looked like the evening was about to come to a screeching halt courtesy of a stomach that looked like it was revolting against recent activities.

"What's wrong?" Jennifer became concerned as her boyfriend was hunched over, holding his stomach in obvious pain.

"I feel like I'm going to be sick." Rodney leaned against the wall for support and put his hand over his mouth as if he was going to be sick any second.

"Here." Jennifer switched over to doctor mode and quickly led the ill man to a garbage can. "Where does it hurt?" It was easy to play doctor and girlfriend as she rubbed Rodney back.

He waited several seconds before answering, "Here." Indicating pain just below the belly button. "Owww. Now feels like I have to use the bathroom really **BAD**."

"Let's go back in so you can go." There was slight disappointment that their evening was ending so soon, but Jennifer's worry that he could really be sick trumped that.

Rodney shook his head, "No. No. I'd rather just go home. I think I can make it. Fresh air might help."

"Are you sure?" She sounded doubtful.

He nodded in return, "It's only five blocks. I should be fine."

Jennifer carefully watched Rodney for signs that something was seriously wrong as they returned home, but thankfully saw nothing. He was unusually quiet and kept on playing with something in his pocket.

"I'm sorry. I feel really bad for messing up this evening. This was supposed to be your day and I had to ruin it," Rodney looked down, too ashamed to look at Jennifer in the eyes. The plan was working exactly as it should.

"It's okay. Making sure you are okay is more important." Her arm looped into his as they rode the elevator.

"You're too good for me."

"I'll make you some peppermint tea while you do what you need to do," Jennifer reached to turn on the light of the dark apartment and then got the shock of her life; fifteen of her closest friends and family standing there with huge smiles on their face. Her eyes welled up when she saw her dad there. He did not even hint he was in town when they talked several hours ago. "What did you do?" She asked Rodney, still stunned. _What happened to yelling surprise?_ Wasn't that supposed at a surprise party? Jennifer reached out for Rodney behind her and jumped when she felt his head instead of and arm. That is when she saw why no one had yelled surprise when they walked in.

Rodney was down on one knee, holding an open velvet box that housed the most beautiful ring she had ever seen.

All of this was a bit overwhelming for the birthday girl. She had gone from worrying about Rodney to excitement of seeing everyone to shock of Rodney down on one knee. Now she felt like she was going to be sick.

"You weren't sick were you?" Jennifer mouthed as a smirk tugged at the corner of her lips and tears pricked the corner of her eyes. She had believed Rodney was really sick and now realized it was all a rouse to get her home.

Rodney's legs felt wobbly as he nodded. "Perfectly fine. Or I will be in a few moments," his voice trembled slightly, showing how nervous he was. The nervous musician took Jennifer' left hand and bought it to his lips. "Will you do me the honor of spending the rest of your life with me by becoming my wife?"

She knew this moment was eventually coming, but when it did Jennifer was still shocked. It was the perfect everything. The perfect moment, the perfect ring and the most perfect guy. Her first response was an outpouring of tears of joy followed by a slight nod. It took a half a minute to realize that she had not vocalized a response as she was wrapped up in the overwhelming excitement of the moment. "Yes. Of course. A million, trillion times **YES!**"

It was then the room broke out into celebration.

Rodney barely had time to slip the ring on her finger before his new fiancée pulled him up and in for their first kiss as an engaged couple. This was the perfect way to start off her thirties.

**To be continued… **

**A/N: I just love writing this story so much that I can't give it up. It's my little fluff vacation from some of the not so fluffy other stories I have. Thanks again and please don't hesitate to leave a review. To those still reading my story Life in the Milky Way, fear not I will be posting the next chapter tomorrow after work.**


	23. Basking in the Glow

A/N: Please enjoy the latest chapter of this. Sorry it took so long, but RL has been not very nice for the last five months. Thanks to Shadows-of -Realm for the beta and Crye4Me for brain storming. Please be kind and leave a review.

* * *

**Chapter 23- Basking in the Glow**

After the last of the guests and cleaning crew left, Rodney plopped himself next to Jennifer on the couch. The entranced woman could not stop looking at the ring on her finger. There was something about it that drew someone in with its intricate design. "You know if you stare at that long enough you'll go blind."

"Shush, you," Jennifer cuddled in close. The events of the evening were still buzzing about her head, expecting to wake from the dream that this night felt like. "You know you really out did yourself tonight. I really had no idea you had any of this planned. You didn't really have an interview this morning, did you?"

Rodney chuckled and kissed the top of his fiancée's head, "That is the whole idea of a surprise, for you to be utterly clueless until the time is right. No interview. I picked up your dad and aunt from the airport. Had to ask his permission to marry you. It's a good thing he said yes."

Jennifer was touched that Rodney had asked her father for permission. It showed the depth of his true character and it made her love him even more. "Yes, it is," she held on a little tighter. The glee radiated off her face and felt like she had to hold on for fear of floating away.

"You like the ring, right? I can exchange it if you don't like it."

"Don't even joke about that," she shook her head and shifted slightly. "I love the ring, but," a playful smirked danced upon Jennifer's full lips. She paused for a brief second before leaning in for a sensual kiss that left both parties out of breath and their hearts racing wildly.

"But?" Rodney asked breathlessly, anticipating how she would finish the sentence.

"But I love the man who gave it to me more." There was a repeat performance of their last kiss.

"Hmm. Good answer," Rodney pulled away just enough to speak and his lips were quickly back upon hers in an elaborate tango that made them forget time and the need to breathe.

It was only when the amorous couple felt lightheaded that they broke the kiss. Jennifer found herself pinned under Rodney and her hands tangled in his hair. His weight was lessened as he used his hands to prop himself up, but leaving enough in the right spots to illicit a moan from the turned on woman.

"Be right back," Rodney had a playful grin on his face as he stopped Jennifer from unbuttoning his shirt. He quickly got off the couch and his grin grew wider when he saw Jennifer's confused and crestfallen face.

Jennifer wanted to scream when her dear other half left her hanging. "Where you going?" her face creased into a frown when he did not answer and disappeared into the kitchen. "Seriously? You're stopping for food?" Jennifer tapped her foot, clearly annoyed that he had started something and was not going to finish it.

"Just needed to get supplies," Rodney appeared at the doorway with a large bowl. "Earlier you said if there was leftover whipped cream that we should put it to good use later. It's now later and there is plenty left. Sorry, but the chocolate sauce was all gone." His eyes sparkled with mischief, knowing their evening was far from over.

"Why didn't you say so?" The annoyance gave was to delight.

"Because you are so cute when you get annoyed," Rodney handed over the bowl of the sweet topping. The real fun was about to begin.

* * *

It was not until the morning sun started to make its slight hint of arrival that the couple had worn themselves completely exhausted. After several rounds of horizontal coupling on the couch, it was time to get vertical in the shower. Then they tested the durability of the mattress. It was a good thing that there were no immediate neighbors or else there would have been several noise complaints made.

Jennifer could barely keep her eyes open as she curled up next to a half-asleep Rodney. "Thank you for making this a birthday I will never forget," the satiated woman tucked her head under the chin of her equally satiated partner.

"There will be many more memorable birthdays to come," Rodney said as sleep threatened to claim him. "And many other days just like this," his hand stopped trailing along Jen's bare spine as he let sleep take over.

There was no question that when they woke up later that they would be feeling the effects of the long night. It was the perfect excuse to not leave the bed all day and hide from the world especially if the weather report for a stormy day was accurate.

There were two things that stirred Jennifer from her blissful slumber; the rain hitting the window and the vibrating of her cell phone. The tired woman grumbled as she reached for the phone on the bedside table. "Hello," the voice was raspy as it started to wake up with the rest of her body.

"Oh, Jen. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," Marie's voice came from the other end.

"Hmm. It's okay." Jennifer rubbed her eyes and blinked when she saw it was close to eleven. "Just give me a second," she did not want wake Rodney who was still sound asleep. "Ow. Ow," the soreness and stiffness of her back and legs made the first few steps unsteady ones.

"You okay?" Marie heard the painful sounds coming from her friend.

Jennifer closed the bedroom door behind her. "Couldn't be better. Long night." The tone told exactly how long and what activities it included.

"Oh," the nurse blushed. What were best friends for, but to give TMI statements? It took a moment to regain composure. "I'm sorry I could make it last night. Radek and I both had to work."

"Janet still making things difficult for you?" Most of their conversations since Jennifer left the practice had steered clear of the vindictive woman.

Marie sighed heavily, "Not so much anymore, but she has her moments. How was the party?"

"Beyond amazing. There is a lot I have to tell you." Jennifer was still on cloud nine and would be there for a while.

"Are you up for lunch today? I know the weather isn't too great, but that never stopped us before."

"Sure. How about I meet you at one at the little French place around the corner from the office?" Jennifer thought that would give her plenty of time to wake up and take a shower.

"Sounds like a plan. See you then." Marie quickly hung up the phone when Janet came into the room and made it look like she was doing some backed up filing.

Jennifer returned to the bedroom, attempting to be as quiet as possible, but Rodney was stirring in bed.

"Who was that?" the man mumbled, obviously still half asleep.

"Marie. I'm going to meet her lunch. Go back to sleep. I'm going to take shower first," the tired woman finished what she had to say, knowing Rodney was asleep before she finished.

"Have fun," the words could barely be made out before the snoring took over.

Jennifer laughed and shook her head as she headed to the bathroom. When she came out Rodney was in the same position as she left him except the covers had been thrown off and his naked body was beckoning her to return to bed.

Choosing to ignore the call, Jennifer covered the tempting body up and got ready for her lunch with her best girlfriend.

* * *

Jennifer was running a few minutes late due to delays on the subway. "I'm sorry I'm late. Subway troubles."

"It's okay," Marie replied, looking nervously to her left. "I was hoping you'd be a little late."

The newly engaged woman was about question her friend's motive when she looked in the direction the nurse was and the reason became clear. "She doesn't scare me anymore. Is that a date she's with?" Jennifer was in too good of a mood to have it dampened by any games Janet wanted to play.

Marie nodded, "She's been seeing him for about a month now. Some kind of jeweler, I think. But enough about her. Tell me more about the party. Were you surprised?"

Jennifer nodded. "Had no idea until we got home. Rodney even had my dad there. It was incredible. That wasn't the best part," she was about to break the good news when the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

"Marie. Jennifer. What a surprise. You are looking a bit worn down. Is everything all right, Jennifer?" Janet tried to sound concerned, but the young doctor knew better.

"Everything is great. Just a late night. That's all. It's a shame you made Marie miss the party last night," Jennifer had to get the dig in. She smiled as she tucked some stray hair behind her ear. Jennifer could not help the comment toward her ex-boss, but she was happier than she ever was and was not going to dwell on the past.

The man with Janet immediately grabbed Jennifer's hand upon seeing the ring on her finger. "Oh, my. That is quite the ring," he let out a long whistle as he tried examining the ring more, but its owner struggled to reclaim her hand. "I'd know that work anywhere. Thom Snow. Very exclusive. Very sought after. Only has one store in San Diego."

The short punctuated sentences annoyed Jennifer and she just sighed. A quick look at Janet showed the woman was not pleased and Marie was in shock, but in a good way. "Okay," her voice was filled with uncertainty. The engaged woman had no idea what the man was going on about.

"Sorry. I'm a jeweler and I get a little when I see such an exquisite piece." He blushed at getting overexcited about a ring and that Janet was clearly not happy about his outburst. His slight Californian accent became clear the more excited he got.

"Evan, enough. We should be going." Seeing the ring made Janet feel like she was kicked in the gut. She had let jealousy get the better of her and turned her into something she never wanted to become. Now there was no going back.

"Rodney proposed last night?" Marie could not could not contain her excitement anymore. "I'm so happy for you, Jen. Congrats."

Evan dismissed Janet's protests about staying. He was too enamored with ring to break away, never expecting to see such a work of art up close. "How did your fiancé manage to get a piece from Snow?"

Jennifer shrugged and looked like she had no idea what Evan was going on about. "I don't know. That's not something I would ask him. Rodney does own a house in California not too far from San Diego. Yes, the ring is amazing and it doesn't matter how much he spent or that apparently the designer is really hard to come by, what matters to me is the man who gave it to me. I can really see why Rodney gets how he does when people try to use him for who he is. Did Janet tell you why I was all but forced to quit working for her?" The stressed woman clenched her jaw and took several deep breaths.

"You used to work Janet? I had no idea," Evan was taken aback by overly defensive woman. "I'm sorry I didn't mean anything by my comments. I let my dork side get a little out of control. I've been a big fan of the designer for a long time and I never thought I'd get to see one of his rings up close."

Jennifer smiled wearily. "It's all right. I'm sorry too. It's just something my fiancé and I have had to deal with once people realize who he is. You can ask Janet about it." Her eyes slid over to her ex-boss who was being unusually quiet and looked like she wanted out of the situation ASAP.

"Yes. Very well," Janet said with unease in her voice. "I apologize for how things turned out with us. I let jealously and fantasies get the better of me. I hope you and Rodney have a long happy life." It looked like it took every effort for the words to sound sincere. Janet really did not want to explain it to Evan and she wanted to get as far from the situation as she could. "I really need to get back to the office." The jumpy doctor began to pull her beau toward the exit.

Just before Janet and Evan were out of hearing range, Jennifer heard Evan's annoyed voice say _the piano guy_ and Janet reply with a huff.

"I'm so happy for you, Jen." Marie could now fully be happy for her best friend without any negative presence. "Did you have any idea he was going to propose?"

"I didn't even have a clue about the party," Jennifer was finally able to relax and divulge in detail the events of the previous evening, quickly glossing over the X-rated parts.

* * *

Rodney felt like a zombie when he finally woke. He grumbled and wiped the remainder of sleep from his eyes. The stiffness of his muscles made the musician walk like he was one of the living dead. A pair of sweatpants and t-shirt was hastily pulled from the dresser and quickly tossed on. The musician sighed and rolled his eyes when he saw the full hamper in the bathroom. It looked like his day was going to consist of doing laundry.

Rodney did not bother to make himself look presentable when he went to the building's laundry room. His hair went off in a million directions and it was obvious he had just woken up. "Wonderful," came the grumble when the room was also occupied by an elderly lady that had to be nearing seventy. Rodney barely acknowledged the woman as he went to sorting the laundry.

The woman with salt and pepper hair wondered what was going on with younger generations. Never in her wildest dreams would she dare go out into public so unkempt or sleep so late. Yet, she knew he had to have money to be able to afford to live in the building. The smallest units went for at least half a million. "Do you live in the building?" She thought that there was a chance that the unkempt man was some place he should not be.

Rodney looked over at the woman, wondering what kind of question that was. "I'm using the laundry facilities, aren't I?"

"That really did not answer my question."

"Yes, I live in the building. Top floor. Little place called the penthouse," the pianist let his arrogant side to rise to the surface. Rodney knew he was being judged on his disheveled appearance. "Do you live here?"

The woman wanted to be indignant, but she saw dollar signs when she realized this was the mystery man who had purchased the long vacant penthouse. Forcing herself to look beyond the messy appearance Audra Scanlon gave Rodney the second look over and noticed no ring on his finger. A smirk slid across her rounded face. It was time to get to work. "I apologize for questioning you. I'm not used to running into normal people doing laundry. Most in this building have the _help_ do it. You don't look like the housekeeper type. I'm Audra. I live in 24A."

"Okay." He was not interested in what the woman had to say and refused to play her game. Audra was only interested once she learned Rodney had money and he despised people like that. "I'm just going to finish my laundry," his tone reflected how much he wanted to be left alone.

Audra did not take the hint and continued to talk. "Where did you live before?" After not receiving a response after several attempts, the annoying woman was undeterred. "Not from around here then? How long have you lived in the city?"

"California. Since November," Rodney used as few words as possible to answer the questions.

"What bought you to New York?"

"Work." The stressed Canadian closed his eyes and prayed that the woman would shut up for five seconds.

Audra pursed her lips at the curtness in his voice. "I have this granddaughter and she isn't seeing anyone and well if you are free later tonight, I'm sure the two of you would hit it off. I don't see a ring on your finger."

Rodney's eyes doubled in size and wondered how dense this woman was. Did she not see him sorting women's clothes besides his own? He looked at what was in his hand and thought of a brilliant way to get the nutcase off his back. Rodney doubted telling her he was engaged would not work. It was Jennifer's black bra from last night and it was stained with whipped cream, but he could easily pretend it was something else. "As long as she doesn't mind me wearing this," he held the bra up to his chest and made his voice sound as flamboyant as possible. The disgusted look on Audra face said it was mission accomplished.

Audra could not tell what substance on the garment was, neither did she want to know. She now thought him to be some freak pervert cross dresser and back away several steps. Sometimes a lot of money made people funny in the head.

"Oh and I'm in the entertainment business too. Maybe you are familiar with some of my work. You seem just the type to enjoy it," Rodney continued with the over the top voice. The old woman was making this too easy and too fun for him.

"Well, I never," Audra was repulsed by the insinuation. Her voice was high and squeaky.

To a normal person the annoying voice would drive them crazy, but Rodney found a hidden melody in it and already began to compose a piece around it. The quiet he hoped for was finally achieved and Rodney got the needed loads of laundry into the machines. It was a wicked twist of fate that Audra finished nearly at the same time and they headed to the elevator at the same time. To Rodney's delight the now very quiet woman went to the opposite corner of the lift.

Audra stood and looked at the other elevator occupant with disgust at what she thought was a horrible lifestyle. Men were not meant to wear woman's clothes. She sighed in relief when a stop at the lobby was made because she would no longer be alone with the freak. What happened next threw Audra for a loop; the young woman who got on the elevator went right over to the man and gave him a kiss.

"Laundry?" Jennifer reached up and tamed some of her fiancé's wild hair.

Rodney nodded and smirked as he subtly looked at Audra. "How was lunch?"

"Interesting. Ran into Janet. She is still charming as ever." Jennifer felt eyes boring into the back of her head and turned to see Audra looking at her with the oddest expression. "What's that about?" she quickly turned back to Rodney and whispered.

Rodney chuckled, "Long story, but the short version is that I taught her a valuable lesson." Valuable, at least in his mind. He could see the steam coming from Audra's ears, clearly not liking being talked about as if she was not here. It was time to set the record straight. "First, I don't like being bothered when I first wake up. Second, I don't have a ring on my finger because we only got engaged last night. Third, the bra was hers. Lastly, what right do you have to pawn your granddaughter off on me? You only changed your opinion of me because you realized I lived in the penthouse." the morning grumpiness had clearly not been fully excised.

Audra shrunk back at being chastised like a child, but he had been right about her change in attitude. "You should have said you were involved with someone."

"With the way you were going on I doubt you would have believed me. So I went for shock which did work," Rodney went silent when he felt Jennifer fingers dig into his palm.

Jennifer looked between her fiancé and the woman who caused him trouble. Both had handled the situation poorly, but she was going to have to side with Rodney and not just because she was in love with him. Audra had made two fatal mistakes. One being she only saw money and only money when looking at Rodney and the most egregious being that she tried to take Rodney away from her. Her only recourse was to hold onto Rodney and glare daggers at the offending woman until she exited the elevator.

"Do I even what to know what the whole bra thing was about?"

"Not really," Rodney sheepishly looked down and kept his mouth shut for the rest of the ride. He let the laughter roar once they were in the apartment. "Her face was priceless when she thought I was a cross dresser." Before Jennifer had a chance to reply, the laughing man raced up the stairs.

"Wait. What? Oh, you have to tell me the story now?" Jennifer took after him, laughing as well.

**To be continued…**

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End A/N: I hope you enjoyed this latest installment. I promise to try to be more frequent with updates. It seems like things are getting back on track for me so I've been writing more, but things have a way slamming back down just as things are getting better. Tomorrow is my first day of 2 months of PT to get my ankle back to proper function and hopefully things will be smooth sailing from there on out.


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